
REASO 

CHRIS' 

DOCTR 










COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 















. 

, 












* 

















* 






* 




i 









































> '• 




















V 
























. 






















' 









































































































































































' 








































































































































































































* 

. 





































•> 







































B 



















































































. 





















Henry C. Brown 







REASON 


OF 

Christian Doctrines 


BY 

HENRY C/ 


BROWN 


LATE EDITOR OF “ THE MID-CONTINENT,” THE “ AMERICAN HOME MAG¬ 
AZINE,” AND 14 LIVING WORDS.” AUTHOR OF “ A SUCCESSFUL 
LIFE,” AND “ MEMORIAL SERMONS.” 



D > ) 


THE WINONA PUBLISHING COMPANY 

CHICAGO ILLINOIS 



Copyright, 1904, by Henry C. Browrfc 

0OP¥ «I©«T, 

ggB°¥FmoirA-P uBLaam»o <WMB 

ci. h, 1 isqi. p-vA 



PRESS OF 

MARSH, AITKKN A CURTIS COMPANY 
CHICAGO 




^C*U\Y\ V-H 



TO MY WIFE 

WHO FOR A PERIOD OF NEARLY FORTY 
YEARS HAS SHARED THE TOILS, SACRI¬ 
FICES AND TRIUMPHS OF MY MINISTRY 







PREFACE 


Read this preface carefully. It will help you. This 
book is for the people—the busy people who have not the 
time or inclination to read a large work on Christian 
doctrine. Still they desire and should know the reasons 
for their Christian faith. An apostle says, “Prove all 
things, hold fast that which is good.” Reason of 
Christian Doctrines is a treatise on the fundamental 
doctrines, held in common by all Christians, interdenom¬ 
inational in character. The distinctive doctrines of the 
different denominations are left for the pastors to dis¬ 
cuss in their respective pulpits. 

For about ten years the author has been preparing 
this work, as he could spare time from his other duties. 
He has been encouraged by letters from eminent pastors 
who have read portions of the work while in preparation, 
such as the following: “I take pleasure in commending 
the purpose and plan of the work. The author has 
presented the essential doctrines of the Christian religion 
in a concise and attractive form, so that the young people 
and busy people may read and understand these great 
J truths.” “I am interested in this work, and regard this 
method of presenting Christian doctrines as one well 
adapted to inform and inspire. Moreover, I am con¬ 
vinced that the Church has no greater need than an 
understanding of these, its fundamental doctrines.” 

5 


6 


Preface 


“These truths are presented in a clear, logical and 
attractive form and are convincing to all thinking 
minds. They will instruct and strengthen the Church 
against skeptical attacks on the Bible.” 

Pastors who wish to prepare series of discourses on 
the great principles of the Bible, will find the work 
largely executed to their hands. The enthusiasm will 
be much greater if this text-book has been in the hands 
of the people. 

Thorough study of this book will greatly aid in an 
understanding of the Bible. It will read like a new 
book. Such a preparation will make better listeners 
to the preaching of the Gospel, and especially when 
the minister is presenting an argument on the funda¬ 
mental principles of the Bible. Beginners in theolog¬ 
ical study, and native preachers and workers in foreign 
mission fields will find in this work just what they need. 

The first chapter is the hardest in the book, and if 
you do not get interested in it at first, turn to some 
chapter that will interest you, and after reading a few 
selected chapters, turn back to the first and read the 
chapters in consecutive order, and the interest will grow 
until you close the book. 


The Publishers. 


CONTENTS 


Chapters I-II 

PAGE 

GOD. 9-33 

Existence of God. 

Attributes of God. 

Chapters III-VI 

THE BIBLE. 34-86 


Authenticity, or Historic Reliability. 
Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. 

Miracles and Prophecy in Support of 
Its Claims to Divine Origin. 

Chapters VII-X 

THE TRINITY.87-144 

History. 

Divine Nature of Christ. 

Human Nature of Christ. 

What think ye of Christ from His Life? 
The Holy Spirit. 

Chapters XI-XII. 

MAN.145-169 

His Nature. 

The Will. 

Obligation, Nature, Origin and 
Requirements. 

7 






8 Contents 

PACK 

Personal Rights and Duties. 

Government, Human and Divine. 

Virtue or Holiness. 

Sin. 

History of Sin. 

Chapter XIII 

ATONEMENT.170-183 


Chapter XIV 

ATONEMENT, BENEFITS.184-198 

Conversion. 

Repentance unto Salvation. 

Justification, Forgiveness of Sins. 
Regeneration, Change of Heart. 

Assurance, Witness of the Spirit. 
Sanctification. 

Glorification. 

Chapters XV-XX 

IMMORTALITY.199-265 

From Nature and Reason. 

From Revelation. 

Resurrection of Christ. 

Resurrection, General. 

Judgment at the Last Day. 

Future Punishment. 

Eternal Life in Heaven. 





Christian Doctrines 


CHAPTER I 

EXISTENCE OF GOD 

The first great truth, the existence of the Supreme 
Being whom we call God, must be admitted as the basis 
of religion, and of every obligation arising therefrom. 
Unless there were a Being worthy of worship, whose 
divine sanction gave to law its authority, there could 
be no obedience to his mandate and reverence for his 
character. 

Let the fact be clearly established that God is, that he 
governs all things, that he is the Creator of all things, and 
his relationship to humanity with its obligation of obe¬ 
dience to the Divine law becomes manifest to all in¬ 
telligent beings. God has furnished proof of his exist¬ 
ence of such character and in such abundance that the 
conviction is irresistible to intelligent men. 

That there is a God is evident from the course and 
constitution of nature. It is impossible to reason re¬ 
garding active beings and events without supposing a 
connection between cause and effect: that which pro¬ 
duces and that which is produced. In this case the 
inquiry is regarding the efficient Cause, or that which 
9 



IO 


Christian Doctrines 


produced the beings and changes within, as well as the 
universe itself, without which no such existence or change 
could have been. That an inseparable connection ex¬ 
ists between cause and effect all men admit, except a 
few atheists and skeptics. 

For the announcement of the fact that God exists, 
and for a correct description of his character and attri¬ 
butes we must depend on revelation; for unaided human 
reason has never been able to discover the fact of the 
Divine existence, or reason correctly regarding his nature 
and acts. The more distant heathen tribes are removed 
from the light and influence of Christian civilization, 
the more crude their ideas of God, and the more bestial 
their lives. All nations of men once had a knowledge 
of God by tradition from the patriarchs, to whom he 
made himself known; and at the dispersion, the descend¬ 
ants of Noah must have enjoyed a correct knowledge 
of God as far as he had revealed himself. It is a sad 
comment on the power of human reason that, with such 
a knowledge in the early history of the race, each succes¬ 
sive generation has more and more obscured this truth, 
until the most enlightened of all heathen nations wrote 
as the last remnant of a fading truth over one of its 
temples, “To the unknown God.” It is evident, there¬ 
fore, that if the human mind cannot retain a correct 
knowledge of God without revelation, it never could by 
any process of reasoning arrive at that knowledge. 
“The world by wisdom knew not God,” is a fact of 
history, as well as of the Bible. 


Existence of God 


ii 


The Sacred Scriptures must furnish the first cor¬ 
rect information regarding the being and attributes of 
God. He is thus made known to us in three ways: 
by the Names by which he is designated; by the Acts 
ascribed to him, and by the Attributes with which he 
is invested. 

The names of the Deity convey to our minds ideas, 
honoring his character, and though incomprehensible 
in the vastness of his power, and the greatness of his 
attributes, yet the revelations he has been pleased to 
make of himself command our reason. Though one 
God, he is called in the first verse of the Bible Elohim, 
persons adorable. The plural form of the word is here 
used, so in the work of creation the three persons in the 
Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were concerned. 
How there can be three persons and yet one God is in¬ 
comprehensible to us, but we receive it on the authority 
of his word. The doctrine of the Trinity in Unity will 
be treated in another chapter. He is also Jehovah, 
self-existing; El, strong, powerful; Ehieh, I am, I will be, 
self-existent, independent, immutable, eternal; Shaddai, 
almighty, all-sufficient; Adon , Supporter, Lord, Judge. 
These are some of the appellatives of God, found in 
his word; but on one occasion he particularly declared 
his name in a manner which will most interest us, be¬ 
cause it indicates his course towards mortals: “And the 
Lord passed by and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, 
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant 
in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, 


12 


Christian Doctrines 


forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and that will 
by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the 
fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s chil¬ 
dren, unto the third and fourth generation.” 

The second means by which we can know God is 
by the acts ascribed to him. These so largely recorded 
in the Scriptures, and visible in the works of nature, must 
ever constitute the most convincing proof of his existence. 
This part of the subject will be treated at length in an¬ 
other place, because the argument a posteriori , from 
effect to cause, from the works of creation to the Creator, 
has been esteemed overwhelming, and as carrying irre¬ 
sistible conviction to the minds of thoughtful men. 
The Scriptures present God as the Creator of heaven 
and earth out of nothing. His eternity and self-exist¬ 
ence is thus established, for he, who created all things, 
must have been before anything made, and he must 
have been independent of all created things, therefore, 
self-existent. He who gave being to all creatures could 
derive it from none. Authority as the Supreme Gov¬ 
ernor is vested in him, for the right of creation is the 
highest possible right of ownership, so he is the only 
proprietor. He is revealed to us as “the only Poten¬ 
tate,” “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” 

By his attributes, the third means of making himself 
known to us, we are to understand those qualities of his 
nature which are thus described: His Unity, “The Lord 
our God is one Lord.” Deut. vi: 4; his Spirituality, 
“God is a Spirit;” his Eternity, “From everlasting to 


Existence oj God 


i3 


everlasting thou art God;” his Omnipotencee, he is called 
the “Almighty;” his Ubiquity, or presence everywhere, 
“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or whither shall I 
flee from thy presence?” “Do not I fill heaven and earth, 
saith the Lord?” his Omniscience , “Known unto him 
are all his works;” his Immutability , “I am the Lord, I 
change not;” his Wisdom, he is called “The only wise 
God;” his Goodness , “Thou art good, and doest good;” 
and Holiness, justice and truth are included, “Holy, 
holy, holy, is the Lord, God of hosts, the whole earth 
is full of his glory.” 

What grander conception of the character of God and 
his attributes can the mind entertain than are given in 
these sublime declarations. They stand in striking 
contrast with the best utterances of the most enlightened 
pagans. With the Scriptures open before them, Chris¬ 
tian writers have been able to give clear and correct 
descriptions of him. Says Dr. Barrow, “By the word 
God, we mean a Being of infinite wisdom, goodness and 
power, the Creator and Governor of all things; to whom 
the great attributes of eternity and independency, om¬ 
niscience and immensity, perfect holiness and purity, 
perfect justice and veracity, complete happiness, glorious 
majesty, and supreme right of dominion belong; and to 
whom the highest veneration, and most profound sub¬ 
mission and obedience are due.” 

After, however, God has made himself known to us 
by Revelation, we can then proceed safely to investigate 
the proofs of his existence from his works, can reason 


14 


Christian Doctrines 


from nature up to nature’s God. He invites our in¬ 
quiry, and exhorts us to learn him by what he has done: 
“Lift up your eyes on high and behold! who hath cre¬ 
ated these orbs? who bringeth forth their hosts by number? 
The everlasting God, the Lord, by the greatness of his 
might, for that he is strong in power.” 

It is impossible to reason regarding anything pro¬ 
duced, except on the supposition that it had a cause 
(that some one made it); that the cause was adequate 
to the result, and without which it never would have 
been. The belief, that there is an inseparable con¬ 
nection between cause and effect, is accepted by all 
mankind, with the exceptions already stated. It is ad¬ 
mitted on all hands that we have no knowledge of the 
existence of anything without a cause. As far as we 
know, everything that has come under our observation 
has been caused by something outside of itself, and 
that was capable of making it. There is not the least 
shadow of reason from the observation of any man, or 
the experience of any one, for the belief that any exist¬ 
ence has been casual, or by chance. The absurdity 
of men, who claim to be reasoners or philosophers, 
basing their objections, and especially in so important 
a matter as this, on a mere supposition, and that in 
conflict with the experience, and in opposition to the 
judgment and convictions of mankind in general, must 
be obvious to any candid mind. 

That the connection between cause and effect is a 
generally received opinion, is evident from all languages. 


Existence of God 


15 


In every one, indicating the ideas of the different nations, 
you will find these words: cause, efficiency, effect, pro¬ 
duction, produce, create, and other words equivalent to 
them. In the structure of all languages, the insep¬ 
arable connection between cause and effect is so clearly 
stated that we are forced to the conclusion that men 
could think in no other way. So impossible is it 
to think in any other way that, while atheists and 
skeptics have claimed it possible in theory in all the 
practical affairs of life they act, speak, and believe as 
others do. 

Children, as soon as they can speak and enquire re¬ 
garding anything, will ask: “Who made this or that?’* 
“Who made me?” “Who made the sun?” etc.; which 
clearly indicates, that the mind, when in the exercise 
of its natural convictions and inclinations, will thus 
express itself. 

All men act on this supposition, atheists as well as 
others. They speak, lie down, eat and sleep to produce 
certain changes in themselves or others. 

The highest certainty is in regard to our intuitions, 
or the mind’s operations. For instance, I think, reflect, 
choose, wish, love, and hate, which are effects known 
only to the mind, and which it clearly perceives were 
caused by it. 

Outside of ourselves we discover the effects of causes 
by our senses; with the eye we see, by the ear we hear, 
taste, smell, and feel. 

What can be more reasonable than to conclude, then, 


16 Christian Doctrines 

that what the mind by its intuitions, and all our senses 
by their uniform sensations determine, must be true? 
Certainly there is no other way of arriving at a fact. 
Try as hard as you may and it is impossible for the 
mind to conceive of anything coming into existence, 
or of changes occurring without a cause. 

The existence of things proves the being of God. Mr. 
Locke illustrates this in the following manner: “Every 
man knows with absolute certainty that he exists. He 
knows, also, that he did not always exist, but began to 
be. It is clearly certain to him, that his existence was 
caused, and not casual; and was produced by a cause, 
adequate to the production. By an adequate cause is 
invariably intended, a cause possessing and exerting an 
efficiency sufficient to bring any effect to pass. In the 
present case, an adequate cause is one possessing and 
exerting all the understanding necessary to contrive, and 
the power necessary to create, such a being as the man 
in question. This cause is what we are accustomed to 
call God. The understanding necessary to contrive, 
and the power necessary to create a being compounded 
of the human soul and body, admit of no limits. He 
who can contrive and create such a being, can contrive 
and create anything. He who actually contrived and 
created man, certainly contrived and created all 
things.” 

This argument is perfectly conclusive, so that the 
mind is entirely satisfied. Any physiologist who has 
studied the wonderful structure of the human body, 


Existence oj God 


i7 


the relation of all its parts, and the perfection with which 
each part performs its functions; and then considers 
that life is imparted, and that it is controlled by a spiritual 
essence, which we call mind, must be impressed with 
the unsearchable wisdom and limitless power of a being 
who could create man. Then when we pass to con¬ 
template the fact that the world with its multitude of 
human beings, the vast expanse of sea and land with 
mighty forces, properties and treasures, which can only 
be understood to a very limited extent by finite minds; 
and again when there passes before us a limitless uni¬ 
verse, all marshalled by an Almighty hand, we exclaim: 
“O the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 
how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past 
finding out!” 

He who created all things must have existed before 
any thing was made, and it being impossible for any 
being to make itself, he must have always existed. To 
suppose otherwise would be to think that when nothing 
existed, something began to be, which is an absurdity; 
for it would suppose an effect without a cause. Then 
he who gave being to all creatures could derive it from 
none. 

As to his substance, “-God is a Spirit. ” Other¬ 
wise he could not be present in all places in his creation, 
within as well as without all material bodies; for it is a 
law of matter that two bodies cannot occupy the same 
space at the same time, yet God touches the inmost parts 
of the most solid bodies, causing their atoms to cohere, 


i8 


Christian Doctrines 


and with his spiritual presence he pervades all nature, 
and penetrates all substances. 

We know that the world and the vast sweep of planets 
and suns now exist. They must have been created by a 
being able and wise enough to do it, or they must have 
always existed. It does not relieve us from the conviction 
that there is a God to suppose they have always been; 
for the order, plan and evident marks of design every¬ 
where manifest, and the changes and vast operations 
of nature which have been and are constantly going on 
require the wisdom and power of an Almighty Being 
ever exerted upon them; “By him all things consist.” 
The fact is, he is not only the Creator of all things, but 
his Almighty aid is necessary to perpetuate them. 

This Being must have possessed sufficient intelligence 
to wisely dispose all the movements of nature. The 
existence, therefore, of design proves a designer. If I 
were to ask a little boy if this watch was made or 
came by chance, he would immediately reply, “Some¬ 
body made it.” By pressing him with questions I should 
find that no sophistry could drive him from his position. 
It looks as though it were made. When I open it and 
find a plan by which certain wheels are turned by a 
spring, which connects with the hands, and that all 
this movement is regulated by a balance so perfectly 
that the hands mark the time of the day, I see the traces 
of an intelligent designer. 

As I go out and look upon the planetary system, with 
the sun as its center, and see the days and nights with 


Existence oj God 


19 


their variations, yet so adjusted as to make unchanging 
regularity, the seasons come and go, and know that 
through thousands of years this great clock hanging in 
the heavens has never failed to give perfect time, I am 
obliged to say: “Here is design so vast, and yet so per¬ 
fect, that none but a Being of infinite intelligence and 
Almighty power could have devised and executed the 
plan.” “The firmament showeth his handywork.” 

We have seen many engines of wonderful construc¬ 
tion, exhibiting great skill and design in the inventors, 
but who ever saw one that could move except under the 
control of the engineer? Nor has any been devised that 
could grow, or repair its wasted parts. The animal 
frame grows, is capable of motion, and the wasting 
tissues are repaired and replaced, showing how the great 
Builder has provided for every exigency. 

The skill exhibited by man in designing and con¬ 
structing machinery is, to our mind, a measure of his 
ability. May we not then, by the same reasoning, con¬ 
clude that a mind which can devise, and a power that 
can create and direct the movements of the vast universe 
is infinite in intelligence, and limitless in power? 

The term, “law of nature,” as commonly used, is 
misleading, for it is only the manner of the Almighty’s 
action. A law of nature can do no more of itself, than 
a law on the statute book. Some person must execute 
it to make it effectual. The laws of nature are nothing 
more than God’s ordinary mode of governing the natural 
world. 


20 


Christian Doctrines 


In addition to the reasons already assigned for a be¬ 
lief in the Divine existence, we can instance the records 
of history and testimony of experience as the most con¬ 
vincing and comforting proofs to Christian hearts. There 
is no history of as great antiquity as the Bible, nor any 
other which has been found to be as reliable as to facts. 
From this source comes the testimony of many persons, 
far removed from one another by time and place, having 
lived in different periods of the world’s history, who have 
seen God and heard his voice. The whole Book is 
luminous with revelations of him, his character, provi¬ 
dence, and dealings with men. The Record has been 
made with unerring certainty by the inspiration of the 
Holy Spirit, for “All” Holy “Scripture is given by in¬ 
spiration of God.” If there is ground for believing any¬ 
thing on historic evidence, the fact that God exists, must 
ever stand pre-eminent. 

Then experience lends its testimony, till the ages have 
become familiar with a Christian sentiment which has 
an ever present God; who is interested in the most minute 
affairs of life, walks by our side, and makes himself 
known to Christian hearts in many an Emmaus way. 
Nothing is more convincing than the facts of our con¬ 
sciousness. Human experience bears the strongest pos¬ 
sible testimony to the fact that God has come, though un¬ 
seen, to Christian hearts, giving consolation in sorrow, 
joy and hallelujahs on the mountain summit, and songs 
in the night. He has been present with holy men and 
women through all this earthly pilgrimage, while they 


Existence oj God 


21 


with unwavering confidence have trusted his word of 
promise, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” 

The argument based upon the attributes of God, the 
third means of making himself known, is reserved for 
the next chapter. 


CHAPTER II 


ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 

By the attributes of God we mean those qualities of 
his nature by which he is made known to other intelli¬ 
gent beings: by which he manifests himself. We know 
him by what he does, and from that we judge what 
he is. 

Opinions are formed of the moral, mental, and phys¬ 
ical qualities of men by what they do. Certainly we 
must discover the qualities of the Divine Being in the 
same way. These qualities may be divided into two 
classes: those belonging to his nature are termed natural 
attributes, while those dependent on his will are moral 
attributes. The argument on the attributes of God 
form an important part in the chain of evidence for a 
belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. If we find 
clear proof in the natural world that intelligence, power 
and design are manifest, then these qualities must exist 
in the Being who can produce such results; and the 
measure of his capacity must be as limitless as the uni¬ 
verse thus controlled. 

NATURAL ATTRIBUTES 

We must first think of God as a person; an intelligent, 
voluntary Being. It is impossible to conceive that the 
22 


Attributes of God 


23 


qualities of an intelligent mind, and the power to produce 
results can exist in anything except a person. This Being 
is the first cause of all things. If we say that the com¬ 
pressed spring caused the movement in a watch, we are 
speaking of a secondary cause, for it does not originate 
the motion. Back of that is the intelligent design and 
power of the man who constructed it, wound up the 
spring, adjusted the time, and set it in motion. So we 
must go back of all secondary causes to an infinite person, 
who made and set in motion all the forces in the universe, 
according to infinite wisdom, and adjusted them with 
such precision that the whole system moves perfectly 
through all the ages. There can be no limitation to a 
person who can create all things, and uphold them by 
the word of his power. This person is a spiritual Being; 
for he is everywhere, within as well as without all solid 
bodies, a property which cannot be in matter. Two 
material bodies cannot occupy the same space at the 
same time. “God is a Spirit.” 

He is eternal, without beginning of days or end of 
life. “From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” 
He who made all things, must have existed before any¬ 
thing was made, must himself be uncaused, therefore 
eternal. To think otherwise is to suppose that when 
nothing existed, God began to be, which is absurd, for 
every effect must have a cause. Man can have no com¬ 
prehension of what is meant by eternal any further than 
to say, without beginning or end of time. Thus far only 
can we go. 


24 


Christian Doctrines 


“Before the world in order stood, 

Or earth received her frame, 

From everlasting thou art God, 

To endless years the same.” 

God is omnipotent, has unlimited power. He said, 
“I am the Almighty God.” He can do anything which 
is possible of accomplishment. What involves an ab¬ 
surdity, self-contradiction, or abuse of the power of a 
righteous Being is excluded. For instance, he cannot 
make two and two equal to five, nor can he compel a 
wicked man to become a Christian. Even infinite power 
cannot coerce the human will, for vice or virtue is the 
voluntary choice of man, and cannot be forced by any 
power outside of himself. God has and will place be¬ 
fore men reasonable motives for obedience, but man 
must make the choice. “Choose you this day whom ye 
will serve.” So vast is the exhibition of power in the 
universe, reaching the most minute atoms of which it is 
composed, and controlling the vast planetary systems 
and suns throughout, that we are forced to believe it is 
infinite. We cannot conceive of any limitation to a 
Being who can create all matter, mind and life, give 
order to chaos, marshal the heavenly bodies in their 
train, and be the source of all motion and force. Nor 
will the supposition that matter has existed from eternity 
remove the necessity for an ever present power, direct¬ 
ing all the changes and movements of the heavenly 
bodies as they sweep through their orbits; and not less 
marvelous have been the changes wrought in all material 


Attributes oj God 


25 


substances during the geological periods in which this 
world was being prepared for the abode of man. The 
materialist gains nothing by his supposition, for if it re¬ 
quires infinite power to create, it also demands the same 
limitless power to direct all the operations of nature. 

God is omniscient, knows all things, past, present and 
future. How could he control and direct all things, 
everywhere manifesting his power, without this knowl¬ 
edge? It is impossible to wisely direct all things in all 
worlds, without the presence of a Being of infinite knowl¬ 
edge, who comprehends in its entirety every law in its 
application to all material bodies and spiritual beings. 
In his foreknowledge of events in the material universe 
which is governed by fixed laws he knows his purpose 
regarding it. This we can comprehend to some extent, 
for we can calculate and foreknow many things in nature. 
We expect the return of the seasons, and may know with 
certainty what will be the movement of certain heavenly 
bodies a thousand years hence. But his foreknowledge 
of what men and angels will do, beings capable of choice 
and action according to the volitions of their own will, 
is something incomprehensible to us. There is nothing 
in the human mind analogous to God’s foreknowledge 
of the choice which a free finite being will make, so we 
cannot reason from analogy. To meet this difficulty 
some have thought that here is a limitation to God’s 
knowledge, that he cannot know what men and angels 
may choose to do; but the fact that he has on many oc¬ 
casions, through his prophets, foretold what men and 


26 


Christian Doctrines 


nations would do, and that in minute detail many cen¬ 
turies before the events transpired, proves that he has a 
perfect knowledge of all future events. More than a 
century before Cyrus was born, the prophet foretold 
that this heathen king would liberate the Jewish captives, 
rebuild Jerusalem, and lay the foundation of the temple, 
all of which was fulfilled. Some esteem it difficult to 
reconcile God’s foreknowledge with human freedom, 
for they say, “If God foreknows all things, how can they 
be otherwise?” not distinguishing between certainty 
and necessity. What will transpire to-morrow is certain 
but not necessary for it could be different if men were 
disposed to make it so. Two windows are in the side 
of my room. A man walking in the road passed one 
window, and as I saw him I foreknew he would pass the 
second of his own choice. My knowledge did not affect 
his choice or conduct, but I saw him walking and fore¬ 
saw what he chose to do. So God, without exercising 
any control over our will, foreknows what we will choose 
to do. What he foreknows is certain, because he can 
foresee exactly what a man will do of his own choice. 
If the man were to choose a different course God’s fore¬ 
knowledge of the event would be different. Now all 
this implies freedom on the part of man to choose and 
act as he pleases. On the contrary, necessity means 
just the opposite, for it implies that some irresistible force 
has been brought to bear which compels men to act as 
they do. God does in some way, incomprehensible to 
us, behold the future. To him all time and all eternity 


Attributes oj God 


27 


are a matter of present knowledge. God’s attention is 
given to the small, as well as the great things of life, a 
very comforting thought to us. Jesus said, “Are not 
two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall 
not fall on the ground without your Father.” Are we 
not much better than a sparrow? If a sparrow cannot 
escape his notice, how much more will he watch and care 
for us. 

God is infinitely wise. With a knowledge of all things, 
of the best means to employ in accomplishing his purposes 
and “who is too wise to err,” there can be no mistakes in 
anything he does. “Wisdom is the best use of knowl¬ 
edge.” So, strictly speaking, wisdom is the knowledge 
to discern, and the disposition to choose the best ends, 
and also the best means to accomplish his purposes. We 
must distinguish between wisdom affirmed of the char¬ 
acter, or when reference is made to the conduct of a 
person. When applied to the conduct, it denotes the 
choice of good ends, and the selection and adoption 
of good means for the accomplishment of them; but 
when the character is meant, we mean that attribute 
which chooses, selects and adopts, which constitutes him 
a wise person. However much our faith may have been 
shaken in regard to the wisdom of God’s administration 
in the affairs of this world, arising from our imperfect 
comprehension of his plans, we may be sure that it is the 
best which can be secured under present conditions, and 
that he is hastening the fruition of the future as fast as 
man can be prepared for it. 


28 


Christian Doctrines 


God is omnipresent. There is not in infinite space a 
point where he is not, nor a substance which he does not 
penetrate, while on and within all material bodies and 
spiritual beings he manifests his power. We cannot 
comprehend his relation to space, but our reason teaches 
us that there must be an Infinite Spirit everywhere in 
the universe where power is exhibited, for without the 
presence and intelligent direction of the power, there 
could be no manifestation of it. “Do not I fill heaven 
and earth, saith the Lord.” 

God being infinite, he must be unchangeable in his 
nature. There can be no increase in his knowledge or 
power, nor any diminution in his attributes. No new 
thought can ever come to him. The Infinite can never 
be added to or taken from, but must ever remain the 
same. I am now speaking of his natural immutability. 
His moral immutability will be considered in another 
place. He says, “I am the Lord, I change not.” 

The unity of God is involved in the fact that he is in¬ 
finite. “The Lord our God is one Lord.” Alone in 
the immensity of his being he is the one God, independ¬ 
ent and eternal. It is impossible for two infinite be¬ 
ings to fill alike the universe. There is a Trinity in the 
Godhead, but it is a Trinity in unity; so whatever is 
implied in this term it must always be consistent with 
his unity. 

In our study we are aided by the consciousness of 
certain attributes in ourselves, of personality, power, 
knowledge, etc., and a moral nature. If then we are 


Read the third paragraph on page 28 as follows: 

Unity of God. “The Lord our God is one Lord." 
There is a Trinity in the Godhead, but it is a Trinity in 
unity. The Father is a person, the Son of God is a per¬ 
son, and the Holy Spirit is a person ; equal in substance, 
power, eternity, and all the attributes of the Divine Na¬ 
ture. How there can be three infinite persons and yet 
one God we do not know. Christ, though the equal of 
the Father, taught that he was doing the Father’s will, 
and we may infer that he always has and always will do 
so. He also taught that the Holy Spirit does the will of 
the Father and the Son of God. There is only one way 
right for anything, so the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 
being perfect in knowledge and wisdom, must see, plan 
and act alike in everything. They cannot differ. From 
eternity they have dwelt in the love and felicity of a per¬ 
fect companionship. This much we may comprehend 
regarding the unity of the Divine Being, but beyond that 
we cannot go. It is a great mystery, but not more so 
than the mode of his existence and many other facts re¬ 
garding the Deity. 


. A -I JVJi/T 

■ rvtA -jH ,M 

• • 

* *•> 0 

.1 -out 








Attributes of God 


29 


the offspring of God, the same nature should exist in 
him. We are made in the image of God. “Forasmuch 
then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to 
think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or 
stone, graven by art and man’s device.” Acts 17 129. 
The warning of certain writers against making God like 
ourselves arises from a misconception of the use made of 
such terms. Our mind may be like his, though limited, 
while his is unlimited. Our moral nature may be like 
his, created in his image in righteousness and true holi¬ 
ness, though now marred by sin and finite in our limi¬ 
tations; while his is perfect in holiness and infinite in 
degree. 

MORAL ATTRIBUTES 

The moral attributes of God constitute his moral 
character, and they are made known to us by his volun¬ 
tary choice or action. He possesses a moral character of 
choice, and thus his moral attributes are distinguished 
from constitutional or natural attributes. What God is 
in his moral character, and maintains in the use of his 
moral agency, constitute his moral attributes. 

God is good. In him is no sin; he is subject to no 
temptation, and he is in need of nothing. Study man to 
learn the nature of virtue or holiness in God, for in him 
it is essentially what it is in ourselves. To be holy we 
must have a will in harmony with goodness, righteousness 
or benevolence. Some prefer to say that holiness is an 
attribute of God’s nature, and not of character as in man. 


30 


Christian Doctrines 


But does this have any meaning to us? Is it conceivable 
that God has no voluntary choice or will? If he has a 
will, the choice to be holy is a voluntary act, and thus 
becomes an attribute of character. 

God possesses moral immutability. What he is to¬ 
day, he has always been, and will always be in charac¬ 
ter from choice. Men are sometimes tempted to do 
wrong, because under the circumstances it seems to them 
best; but with God there is no seeming, it always being 
absolutely certain to him that it is best to do right. Here 
we distinguish between God’s natural immutability, his 
unchangeable nature; and his moral immutability, 
which is his unchangeable purpose to be holy. The 
question arises, are there any considerations or motives 
affecting the character of God? We can only reason 
from analogy. With man his happiness depends on his 
goodness, and so we conclude that the infinite goodness 
of God contributes to his perfect happiness. Man does 
not always see this, sometimes it appears differently to 
him. Not so with God, for it is always clear to him that 
the highest type of happiness depends on holiness. 
There never can exist any possible motive in the mind of 
God to sin, for it is ever clear to him that it is not wise. 
God, angels and men act from motives, and all have 
freedom of the will to choose what to do. With men there 
arises in the mind impure motives which lead to sin some¬ 
times, with the seeming that it is best; but God is never 
thus deceived. To him it is all transparent truth or 
falsehood. The inseparable connection between sin 


Attributes of God 


3i 


and suffering, righteousness and happiness are always 
known to him, so he can never have any possible motive 
to sin. 

Proof of the goodness of God is furnished by the pro¬ 
vision made for the happiness of his creatures. In the 
fact that those who are considerate of the rights of others 
have the greater happiness, is evidence of the goodness 
of the Creator. 

Further proof of his goodness is found in the cre¬ 
ation of moral beings, angels and men, so constituted 
that virtue brings happiness, and vice misery. This 
is so clearly demonstrated in human experience that 
it has come to be universally recognized among civilized 
men. History, sacred and profane, is luminous with the 
beneficent providence of God in the affairs of men. 
Those nations which have recognized his authority and 
purposes in the earth, by incorporating into the national 
life the moral virtues which form the basis of all right 
rule, have steadily risen to a permanent place and as¬ 
sured prosperity; while those nations, however great, 
which have sought by oppression and misrule to advance 
the interests of the individual by the sacrifice of the 
people, have fallen into ruins. That “Righteousness 
exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people,” 
is a fact, not only of revelation, but accords with the 
course of history. God’s beneficent nature has smiled 
on the right choice made by the Christian powers, while 
his displeasure has been seen in the wrecks of the nations 
which have sinned. 


32 


Christian Doctrines 


More especially in the work of redemption do we see 
the infinite purity of God, who “cannot look upon sin 
with the least degree of allowance,” yet from his infinite 
heart of love proceeded a plan for the restoration of 
fallen man to a life of virtue. God is so pure that he 
does, and must forever, repel everything which is im¬ 
pure from his presence; still the Divine Father loves his 
wayward child. In his sins he cannot come near to God, 
but when repentant, God forgives, purifies, restores and 
attracts him home. 

Justice, Mercy and Truth are manifestations of the 
goodness of God, rather than distinct attributes. God 
is just, that is, he renders to every one his due. “Just 
and right is he.” Deut. 32:4. He is absolutely just, and 
he is the only being in all the world who is capable of 
being so. Every case is entirely clear to him, with all 
the motives, acts and consequences, so no evidence can 
be withheld, and no deception can be practiced. “He 
is too wise to err,” so his decisions must be right and 
final. 

The Mercy of God is the exercise of good-will to¬ 
wards those who have sinned and deserve punishment. 
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and 
plenteous in mercy.” Psa. 103:8. Had man never 
sinned there would have been no need of the exercise of 
mercy, for he would have kept the perfect law of God, 
have deserved and received the favor of God. But when 
man sinned and fell under condemnation, every favor 
of God to him became an act of mercy, and not a reward 


Attributes of God 


33 


of merit. The highest exhibition of God’s mercy is in 
the provision he has made for man’s salvation through 
Christ, by the gift of his Only Begotten Son, that repent¬ 
ant sinners may be forgiven, regenerated, lead holy lives, 
and finally be made partakers with the saints in light. 
This subject will be considered more fully in the chapter 
on the atonement. 

The Truth of God, or his veracity, is a disposition to 
always act, and declare the truth according to the real 
state of things. “And the truth of the Lord endureth 
forever.” Psa. 117:2. Pilate said, “What is truth?” 
From a human standpoint his question is rational, for 
no man in all the world can comprehend truth in its com¬ 
pleteness. God alone can know the whole truth. Christ 
said, “I am the truth.” He lived it, and always spake 
the truth. There was not a look, a gesture, or an act 
in the whole life of Christ calculated to deceive any man. 
So God’s word, what he says in his revelation, is the only 
perfect truth committed to mortals, inasmuch as he is 
the only one capable of giving it. We must turn to the 
Bible for the only book which gives the truth. 


CHAPTER III 


AUTHENTICITY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES 

By authenticity of the Holy Scriptures, we mean 
that they are a revelation of God’s will to man, written 
by holy men under his direction. And if this be true 
they contain a history of his manifestations to the race, 
and are the only reliable source of religious truth. 

The first thing to determine is the historical truth¬ 
fulness of the Scriptures. Do they furnish a reliable 
account of the events recorded there? If they are true, 
then it follows that the history they contain, the doc¬ 
trines they inculcate, the miracles and prophecies which 
they record are also true. Let this fact be settled and 
we can appeal to the Holy Scriptures for reliable evidence 
in support of its claims to a divine origin. Here the same 
tests have been applied that are used in ascertaining the 
truthfulness and value of other ancient writings. Nor 
has this been sufficient to meet the demands of advanced 
Christian scholarship; but they have wisely subjected 
them to the most severe tests possible, consistent with 
sound criticism. The inspiration of the Scriptures being 
dependent upon proof as to the historical reliability of the 
Sacred Books, this matter will be made the subject of 
the succeeding chapter. 

In pursuing the investigation concerning their authen¬ 
ticity, the most satisfactory method is to fix on a few 
34 


Authenticity of the Holy Scriptures 35 

rules, such as are used in settling the reliability of other 
ancient writings, together with such additional tests as 
Divine truth requires. The books of the Bible, sixty- 
six in all, were written by different men, in different 
ages, running through a period of more than fifteen 
hundred years. They existed thousands of years be¬ 
fore the art of printing had been invented, so they were 
written on parchment, from which copies were multiplied. 

These are considered the more important rules: 

1. The more numerous the copies extant of any an¬ 
cient writings the greater their reliability. This has 
been found true regarding other ancient books. 

2. If true, there should be an agreement among the 
sacred writers. 

3. We should be able to trace back to the times in 
which the Holy Scriptures were written. 

4. Very ancient translations of them are of great value. 

5. The style and contents of the books should show 
that the writers lived in the times in which it is claimed 
they were written. 

6. References to the habits and customs of the people 
should suit those times. 

7. Are the characters of the Bible real or imaginary? 
If real, they should have proper historical support. 

8. There should be monuments to commemorate some 
ancient events recorded therein. 

9. Extraordinary care should be used in their pres¬ 
ervation. 

10. The concurrent opinion of the church at and since 


3$ 


Christian Doctrines 


the times in which they were written must be incon¬ 
testable proof. 

n. Various readings are common to all ancient 
writings, and the Scriptures are not an exception to this 
rule, for transcribers in making copies have unavoid¬ 
ably made some mistakes. This does not invalidate 
the record. 

12. Contemporaneous historic reference to the events 
recorded in them should agree in essential points. 

If the Holy Scriptures can stand these tests they are 
historically true. Advanced scholarship in its criticism 
has made the most searching examination, resulting in 
placing them for historic reliability above all other ancient 
writings. 

The manuscripts of the New Testament now extant 
are vastly more numerous than those of any single an¬ 
cient author. They are not all entire, most of them 
contain only the Gospels; others, the Gospels, Acts of 
the Apostles, and the Epistles; while a few contain the 
Revelation of John. Many of them are more than 
fifteen hundred years old, and were written in different 
parts of the world; yet in all essential points, they are in 
perfect accord. The number and condition of the manu¬ 
scripts of the New Testament, surpassing other ancient 
books, place them first for historic reliability. No 
other ancient writings have ever received such care, or 
were so anxiously guarded against corruption. 

The various readings which have been found in the 
manuscripts, through the diligence of collators, relate 


Authenticity oj the Holy Scriptures 37 


chiefly to matters of small importance, such as plain 
errors in transcription, grammatical and verbal differ¬ 
ences, such as the insertion or omission of an article, 
the substitution of a word for its equivalent, and the 
transposition of a word or two in a sentence. It is marvel¬ 
ous how insignificant are these differences, and that they 
have been so easily discovered and corrected by the labors 
of scholars. That these writings show no errors, other 
than those which can be traced easily to the neglect of 
copyists, is strong evidence in favor of the perfection of 
the original manuscripts. This remarkable agreement 
of the manuscripts is a weighty consideration in deter¬ 
mining their divine origin, for no set of men, writing 
from different parts of the world, could have been in 
such accord without divine direction. Their writings have 
successfully challenged the criticisms of enemies, and the 
more searching investigation of the world’s greatest schol¬ 
ars; yet they stand forth to-day the only books which are 
unimpeachable. God alone could indite such a work. 

The unity of the books of the Holy Scriptures, and 
the extent to which one part is made to depend on the 
others, makes it impossible to accept any considerable 
portion without accepting them all. Accept the Gospels, 
and the Acts of the Apostles, and their Epistles follow, 
for they were written by the men whom Christ commis¬ 
sioned to make the records. Receive the New Testa¬ 
ment and it requires the acceptance of the Old. Believe 
these and we have revealed religion, and all essential 
religious truth. 


3 » 


Christian Doctrines 


That these are historically true is evident from the 
fact that they can be traced back to the times in which 
they are claimed to have been written. Manuscripts 
are found which prove their existence as early as A. D., 
350. Translations of the New Testament writings were 
made into the Latin and Syriac near the close of the 
second century. The Latin Vulgate was prepared in 
the fourth century. Quotations from the books and 
references to them were made by Origen, Clement of 
Alexandria, Tertullian, Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, 
showing their existence, wide diffusion, and the fact that 
they were relied upon as authority as early as the first 
half of the second century. This can only be accounted 
for on the supposition that they were written, as claimed, 
by men intimately associated with Christ; for no such 
thing as a forgery could have been written, widely dif¬ 
fused, and become accepted as authoritative in the short 
period of little more than one century from the time of 
the apostles. 

The books of the New Testament have been acknowl¬ 
edged by the Christian church from the time of the 
apostles as authentic and authoritative, while all other 
books not included in the sacred canon have been re¬ 
jected. The early Fathers of the Christian church 
quoted so freely from them in their writings and com¬ 
mentaries that it has been observed that the Gospels and 
Epistles could be compiled from them. Even the ene¬ 
mies of Christianity in their writings conceded that the 
early Christians received the books of the New Testa- 


Authenticity of the Holy Scriptures 39 

ment as authority in all matters pertaining to their re¬ 
ligious faith and practice. This concession is especially 
valuable to us, for had there been any division among 
the early Christians regarding these books, it would 
have been immediately seized upon as a formidable 
weapon against them. The unanimity of the church 
in accepting these writings from the first is a strong rea¬ 
son for believing that the apostles had so instructed with 
reference to them, and no doubt remained regarding 
their binding obligation. In no other way could it have 
become the concurrent opinion of the church at a period 
so near the time of the apostles, and continued for sev¬ 
eral centuries following, as can be seen by reference to 
the writings of the early Fathers. 

Origen, who wrote A. D., 230, makes distinct and hon¬ 
orable mention of the four Gospels and the Acts of the 
Apostles, nor does he mention any other books except 
those now received. Athanasius, about a century later, 
furnished a catalogue of the books of the New Testa¬ 
ment, containing our Scriptures and no other. He says, 
“In these alone the doctrine of religion is taught; let no 
man add to them, or take anything from them.” Within 
less than fifty years from the time in which he wrote, 
Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, and the council of Laodicea 
furnished catalogues of canonical Scriptures, the same 
as ours, omitting Revelation. Before the close of the 
fourth century numerous catalogues appear, all, as they 
are called, clean catalogues (that is, they admit no books 
but what we receive), and all are the same as ours, for 


40 


Christian Doctrines 


every purpose of historic evidence. St. Augustine fur¬ 
nished a catalogue, giving the same books which we re¬ 
ceive, but accepting no other ecclesiastical writings what¬ 
ever as books of authority. Rufen, whose catalogue is 
perfect and unmixed, says, “These are the volumes 
which the fathers have included in the canon, and out 
of which they would have us prove the doctrine of our 
faith.” 

At the first, the books of the New Testament were 
used publicly in the services of the Christian churches, 
as the Old Testament had been used in the synagogue 
of the Jews, so that from the time of the apostles they 
have been carefully guarded from corruption by the ever 
watchful eye of Christian teachers, lest anything should 
detract from their purity and authority. The style and 
contents of the books show that the writers lived in the 
time of Jesus and were familiar with the events recorded. 
Their language, or dialect, is Hebraistic Greek, used by 
men of Hebrew culture who had learned Greek. After 
the conquest of Palestine and the destruction of Jerusa¬ 
lem by the Romans, it soon ceased to be used, so there 
was no demand for it after the first century of the Chris¬ 
tian era. 

Geographical references are frequent and minute; 
historical events, Jewish, Egyptian, Arabian, Persian, 
Sythian and Roman are accurate; the archaeology of the 
New Testament, its reference to the habits and customs 
of the people, is correct; and all allusions to time, weights 
and measures, Jewish, Grecian and Roman, are suited to 


Authenticity of the Holy Scriptures 41 

the times. None but writers living in the time of Jesus 
could have given these facts accurately. All who have 
attempted to write the history of any people without a 
resident familiarity with their customs, and at a date 
subsequent to the events, have failed in all these par¬ 
ticulars. 

All the books of the Old and New Testament have 
been subjected to these tests with favorable results. 
Each year the researches of explorers are adding accu¬ 
mulating evidence in support of the claims of the Holy 
Scriptures to an antiquity ascribed to them. All other 
sacred books fail in these particulars, and consist mainly 
of dreams, visions and speculations, under circumstances 
favorable for the practice of deception. 

In the name of Jesus Christ we have the central figure 
of the New Testament. Did he live in Palestine and 
perform the acts ascribed to him, or is he an imaginary 
character of some idealist? From what has been said 
the fact of his existence must be admitted, and there are 
still other considerations which preclude the possibility 
of a forgery of the history of Jesus. 

It is impossible for such a character to be a human 
invention. All attempts by men outside of a Chris¬ 
tian country to furnish an ideal character have not only 
failed, but have resulted in a large degree in eulogizing 
the vices of mankind. Christ stands alone as the one 
perfect character of history, unchallenged by Chris¬ 
tians and his honor undimmed by unbelievers. Any 
modern feeble attempts to detract from the glory of his 


42 


Christian Doctrines 


faultless life have been based on the supposition that 
there was nothing supernatural in the character of Jesus, 
which is a baseless assumption, at variance with all 
history and honest research. After the life of Jesus is 
placed before us we can see its beauty and symmetry. 
We cannot invent it. Peter says, he “did no sin, neither 
was guile found in his mouth.” i Peter 2:22. His 
purity of motive, absence of self-exaltation and marvel¬ 
ous power, never used for display, or private ends; his 
deeds and words always befitting his position and claims, 
his meekness and gentleness, combined with his dignity 
and majestic character, all present him to us as the one 
perfect man. Could human thought ever conceive of 
such a character, much less present it? 

None but the Christ could have said what he did. 
Those who heard him said, “Never man spake like this 
man,” and “They were astonished at his doctrine; for 
he taught them as one having authority, and not as the 
scribes.” His words have been the consolation and in¬ 
spiration of the ages, the source of the world’s greatest 
civilization and human progress; while the salvation 
which he brought in and taught is the hope of his church, 
and the passport to a higher and eternal state hereafter. 
Such utterances are not a human invention, and no man 
has ever lived who could produce them. 

No human being could invent a character which pre¬ 
sented the marvelous combination which was possessed 
by Jesus. Ancient mythology attributes extraordinary 
action to some of its characters, but there is no such 


Authenticity oj the Holy Scriptures 43 

blending of character as can be found in the person of 
Jesus Christ. As God, he “commands the wind and the 
sea and they obey him;” he claims equality with the 
Father; “All things that the Father hath are mine;” 
and he claims equal honors, “That all men should honor 
the Son, even as they honor the Father;” yet he yields 
to violence and death like a mortal. He prays the 
Father, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me; 
nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” As man, 
he admits his limitations, “But of that day and that hour 
knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, 
neither the Son, but the Father.” 

The doctrines of the New Testament are too exalted 
for human invention. Where were the men to give us 
a morality suited for all time, and principles of righteous¬ 
ness which commend themselves in every particular to 
enlightened reason? In the person of Jesus Christ we 
have the exemplification of these principles. Who else 
has ever lived such a life? No one except the Great 
Teacher could have conceived them, no other could 
have lived them. 

Contemporary history to a limited extent sheds light 
on Christianity. Suetonius, Tacitus and Pliny, the 
younger, in the latter half of the first century, and the 
first of the second, refer to the Christians. In their time 
there were men living who had known the apostles of 
our Lord. When Pliny was governor of Pontus, in Asia 
Minor, he found Christians in large numbers. He en¬ 
quired of Trajan, the Roman emperor, about the close 


44 


Christian Doctrines 


of the first century, what he should do with them. In 
his account he says, “They worshipped Christ as God, 
and they took an oath together, not to commit any crime, 
but to abstain from all crimes, as theft, robbery and 
adultery.” Many of these Christians of whom he speaks 
had known the apostles, which makes the chain of evi¬ 
dence complete back to the apostolic age. Josephus, 
the Jewish historian, was bom only a few years after the 
crucifixion, and he died at the close of the first century. 
He was contemporary with the apostles and well informed 
regarding the noted events in the life of Jesus. He could 
not, and be true to history, fail to give some account of 
this remarkable Jewish personage, and while his Jewish 
prejudices prevented him from saying more, he has 
left on record a very valuable statement. In his writings 
is a short paragraph in reference to Jesus which some 
think to be spurious, but it cannot be proved to be so. 
After saying so much they think he would have said more 
if it had been genuine. Such a reason is not entitled to 
consideration, and should not receive any attention if it 
were not for the fact of there being a number of super¬ 
ficial critics who seize on every supposable circumstance 
to invalidate history, sacred or profane. The more 
reasonable view is this that, like the ruling classes of his 
countrymen, he dared not say more for fear of the Jews, 
for had he clearly espoused the cause of Jesus he would 
have been subjected to persecution, and his history 
would have been rejected by the Jewish people. In 
his works (Ant. 18, 3, 3) is this paragraph: “Now 


Authenticity of the Holy Scriptures 45 

there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man (if it be 
lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful 
works), a teacher of such men as receive the truth with 
pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews 
and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ; and 
when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among 
us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him 
at first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive 
again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold 
these and a thousand other wonderful things concerning 
him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from 
him, are not extinct at this day.” Thus we have reliable 
history outside of the Bible to prove the existence of such 
a person as Jesus Christ and his Christian followers. 

In the New Testament is monumental evidence of the 
existence of Jesus in the two sacraments which he in¬ 
stituted, and the ministry which he ordained. He ap¬ 
pointed baptism and the Lord’s Supper to be observed 
in his church. At no time since his death could they have 
been incorporated into the Christian system without 
being detected. In the earliest history of the church is 
reference to them, and in all the succeeding ages of the 
church they have been observed. He ordained apostles 
and a ministry to preach the Gospel and administer the 
sacraments to the end of the world. The records of 
their labors have formed an important part of the history 
of the church and human progress. 

Christianity itself, to intelligent observers, must stand 
as a convincing proof of its divine origin. From a small 


4 6 


Christian Doctrines 


beginning, with its followers mainly from the poorer 
classes, it has risen to turn the tide of history, and to form 
the civilization which was to sweep from the earth all 
other systems of religious faith. It has made the best 
men and women which the world has ever had, and it has 
brought on an era of progress which brooks all restraint, 
and will until the world is carried to the sublime heights, 
when all will love God with all their hearts, and their 
neighbors as themselves. No set of men could have de¬ 
vised Christianity. The Christ of the Gospels is the only 
explanation. The New Testament then is historically 
true; and if so, it follows that Christianity is the true re¬ 
ligion, with Christ as its divine expounder and example. 

“Judaism and the Jews sustain a similar relation to 
the Old Testament. The existence of the Jews to-day, 
with their ideas and traditions, is proof of the Old Testa¬ 
ment; that history is the only explanation of their ex¬ 
istence. The land of Palestine is the “tenter-bar” to 
which this double web of history fits. The books and 
the land belong together.”— Fairchild. 

The Old Testament is the history of the Jewish people, 
a chosen nation, which God made the repository of his 
revealed truth. 

That Moses was the leader and legislator of the Jewish 
nation, nearly sixteen hundred years before Christ came, 
is as clearly established as any fact of ancient history. It 
has been the uninterrupted tradition and history of the 
Jews from the time of Moses. He led them out of Egypt, 
made a record of that event, and gave them their laws. 


Authenticity of the Holy Scriptures 47 

Josephus mentions Menetho, Cheremon, Appollonius, 
Lysimacus and other Egyptian historians, whose writings 
were extant in his day but are now lost, who state that 
Moses led the Jews out of Egypt and gave them their 
laws. Justin Martyr says that most of the historians, 
lawgivers and philosophers of the Greeks mention Moses 
as a leader and prince of the Jewish nation. So it is 
clear that Jewish history and that of other nations agree 
as to the person and office of Moses among that ancient 
people. 

The Hebrew in which the Old Testament was written 
ceased to be a spoken or living language soon after the 
Babylonish captivity, nearly 500 years before Christ 
came. A Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures 
was made about 280 years before the Christian era, and 
laid up in the Alexandrian library. The facts show the 
high antiquity of these books. 

The manner of preserving the Old Testament Scrip¬ 
tures made them perfectly secure, for Moses ordered them 
to be placed in the ark of the covenant, and a copy was 
placed in the care of the king. If these Scriptures had 
been made at a time subsequent to the period ascribed to 
them, is it not plain that no one could have forged the 
laws to govern the Jewish nation, then assert that they 
were written by one Moses many hundred years before, 
that they had been kept continually in the ark of the 
covenant and in the hands of the king, and that the whole 
Jewish nation had been governed by them from the time 
of Moses? Upon the appearance of such a book it 


4 8 


Christian Doctrines 


would be immediately rejected, and the people would 
say, “We never heard of this book before.” 

Monuments commemorating events recorded in the 
Old Testament prove their antiquity and historical truth¬ 
fulness. The institution of the passover in memory of 
the death of the first born of Egypt, and the sparing of the 
first born of Israel, have been kept up since that event 
as an annual feast. The setting aside of one of the tribes 
(of Levi), to the priesthood in the time of Moses, and 
which continued till the time of Christ, can only be ac¬ 
counted for on the supposition that the history of its 
origin is correct. Any attempt to force this order at a 
time subsequent to Moses could have been easily de¬ 
tected by the people and resented. Take the Stone¬ 
henge in Salisbury plain, raised to commemorate the 
passage of the Israelites through the river Jordan on 
dry ground when the river was high, overflowing its banks, 
proves not only the miracle, but also bears witness to the 
high antiquity of the books containing the record. No 
other explanation can satisfy intelligent men. 

These facts establish beyond question the existence 
of the Old Testament from the times ascribed to them, 
and their careful preservation till the time of Christ. 
Since then both Jews and Christians have kept a careful 
watch over them, each serving as a check to the other. 

Why accept the Holy Scriptures as a divine revelation, 
and reject other sacred books, such as the Vedas, the 
Zenda-Avesta, the Koran, etc.? Because the Bible alone 
bears the marks of a divine origin, stands all the tests 


Authenticity of the Holy Scriptures 49 

required to establish its claims, and does not fail in any 
essential particular to meet all the requirements of such 
a revelation. It is an incomparable book; nothing else 
deserves to be named in comparison with it. Other 
sacred books of pagan nations consist of visions and 
dreams, their pretended miracles are either absurd, or 
are performed under circumstances favorable for the 
practice of deception, and they possess but little compara¬ 
tive value. Their manifest inferiority shows not only 
a human origin, but also that their authors had a very 
poor conception of the great principles of right character 
and conduct. If there is in all the world a revelation of 
God’s will to man the Bible is that book. It bears the 
impress of his hand, and is worthy of being considered as 
emanating from him. Whatever of value is to be found 
in other sacred books has evidently been borrowed from 
the Bible. 


CHAPTER IV 


INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES 

What is necessary to constitute a revelation of God’s 
will to man? Some of the more important evidence, 
which should be conclusive to all fair minded persons of 
all ages of the world, will be here given. 

1. Such a revelation was needed by the world; 

(1) Because of the condition of heathen nations. 

(2) Because a law, to be binding, must be published. 

2. We would expect it to be a wise book, setting forth 
the thoughts of an infinitely wise God in regard to the 
welfare of men. 

3. God must employ human language which is im¬ 
perfect, and the man to whom the communication is 
made has an imperfect comprehension of truth, so any 
apparent errors must be in the man and not in God, its 
author; still the production must show a perfection 
worthy of God, and surpassing any possible conception 
or power of man. 

4. Difficulties and mistakes are to be expected, arising 
from the carelessness or neglect of transcribers, incident 
to all ancient writings. 

5. We would expect that Jesus would set his seal of 
approval on the Old Testament Scriptures. 

6. The mode of inspiration should be such as to leave 
no reasonable doubt that the Scriptures are from God. 

50 


Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures 51 

7. The writers, who were honest men, should have 
proof that they esteemed themselves inspired of God to 
write the Holy Scriptures. 

8. The teachings, and the results of the application of 
the principles of the Holy Scriptures, should justify the 
belief that they are from God. 

9. There should be some way for God to attest that 
his servants were inspired by him to write this record of 
his will. Nothing has ever been assigned as proof more 
convincing than miracles and prophecy. 

(1) Miracles are supernatural acts, performed by 
God to attest some doctrine as from him, or the authority 
of some divinely appointed person. 

(2) Prophecy is the foretelling of some event only 
foreknown by God, which in its fulfillment must furnish 
incontestable proof that God was its author. Its design, 
like that of miracles, is to attest his word and the au¬ 
thority of his messengers. 

The necessity of revelation is evident because of the 
condition of heathen nations. It is fair to conclude that 
if God’s word had never been given to the world, the en¬ 
lightened nations which have been made so by his truth 
would to-day be in the same state of barbarism and dark¬ 
ness as the pagan tribes; for it has been the history of 
the race that those nations which have not possessed the 
Bible have sunk deeper and deeper in ignorance and bar¬ 
barism. All nations of men once had the truth, received 
from the early descendants of Noah, and while some re¬ 
tained it by accepting these messages from God and ad^ 


52 


Christian Doctrines 


vanced along the lines of human progress, others by re¬ 
jecting them have lapsed into all the vile and ruinous 
degradation of heathenism. 

Nothing less than the authority of the Infinite Law¬ 
giver could impress men with their obligation to obey 
the moral law. Even the best of the heathen philosophers, 
not recognizing that authority, were not influenced to 
any considerable extent by their ethical teaching. Cicero 
said, “Do you think that these things had an influence 
upon the men (a very few excepted) who thought and 
wrote and disputed about them? Who is there of all 
the philosophers whose mind, life and manners were con¬ 
formable to right reason? Who ever made his philos¬ 
ophy the law and rule of his life, and not a mere show 
of his wit and parts? Who observed his own instructions, 
and lived in obedience to his own precepts? On the 
contrary, many of them were slaves to filthy lusts, many 
to pride, many to covetousness.” Dr. Samuel Clark 
says, “The truths which the philosophers proved by 
speculative reason, were destitute of some more sensible 
authority to back them; and the precepts which they 
laid down, how reasonable soever in themselves, seemed 
still to want weight and to be no more than Precepts of 
Men.” Said Origen, “I know of but one Phaedo and 
one Polemon throughout all Greece who were made 
better by their philosophy, whereas Christianity hath 
brought back its myriads from vice to virtue.” 

The correct religious truths found among the heathen, 
and referred to by their philosophers, are spoken of as 


Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures 


53 


something previously known in the world. No legis¬ 
lator, poet, or philosopher of antiquity ever pretended to 
have discovered them. Their existence, therefore, among 
heathen nations does not prove that unaided reason 
could have discovered them. Their origin can only be 
accounted for on the supposition that they were received 
by tradition from preceding ages, what the ancients have 
called “a golden age,” referring to the period when Noah 
and his immediate descendants must have possessed the 
truth in comparative purity; and also from contact with 
the patriarchs and Hebrew people, who were made the 
repository of these sacred truths. This charge is made 
against the heathen philosophers by the early fathers. 
Justin Martyr said, “As the ancients had borrowed from 
the prophets, so did the moderns from the Gospel.” 
Tertullian observes in his apology, “Which of your poets, 
which of . your sophists, have not drunk from the foun¬ 
tains of the prophets? It is from these sacred sources 
likewise that your philosophers have refreshed their 
thirsty spirits.” But he charges them with corrupting 
their quotations when he says, “Every one taking or 
leaving, adopting or remodeling, as his imagination led 
him.” From these facts it is perfectly clear that the 
condition of heathen nations cannot be materially im¬ 
proved without the Word of God, and a conviction that it 
is from him, and therefore of binding obligation, a faith 
which has made Christian nations what they are to-day. 

Such a revelation is necessary further because a law 
to be binding must be published to the world. The 


54 


Christian Doctrines 


fact that man is under a moral law must be admitted 
by all intelligent men; for we see that men are happy 
when they observe that law, but when they violate it 
they are punished. Communities and states are well 
ordered and prosperous in proportion to their observance 
of a high moral code. As soon as we discover that happi¬ 
ness follows obedience, and punishment disobedience 
to certain rules of conduct which we call moral law, then 
we prove the existence of the law. It is a principle 
founded in justice that no law is binding until it is pub¬ 
lished. The fact then that God has enforced this law 
from the earliest history of the race is proof that in some 
way he has made his will known to the world. Nothing 
has ever been suggested as reasonable as the Scriptural 
account. It teaches us that an infinitely just God re¬ 
vealed his will in the earliest times to certain representa¬ 
tive men who, because of ability and uprightness of life, 
he esteemed the most capable of communicating it to 
others during that period of the race when there was no 
written language. When the time arrived that the more 
crude forms of written language gave way to one suffi¬ 
ciently copious to record God’s law and his dealings with 
men, then such a record was made. Parallel with the 
creation of man he has been under law, and God re¬ 
vealed it to him. He talked with Adam and a succes¬ 
sion of patriarchs until the time of Moses. Moses was 
especially qualified to reduce to writing the revelation 
which God had made and wished to make to the world, 
being learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and of 


Inspiration oj the Holy Scriptures 55 

his own people, the Hebrews. Written language had 
become sufficiently improved to convey to the world 
the law of God and the early history of the race. Moses 
made record of the traditional accounts which had been 
handed down from generation to generation, together 
with the events of his own time, and the law of God. 
Then as mankind improved and became qualified for 
the reception of added truth and more stringent laws, 
God gave them, through men chosen by him, prophets, 
Christ and his apostles, through a period of about fif¬ 
teen hundred years, until, in the complete record, we 
find all needed information regarding God’s law, the 
example of holy men and women, the history of religion 
during Bible times, and the information necessary in 
religious matters to carry the race to the highest degree 
of perfection attainable by mortals. These reasons form 
an unanswerable argument for the necessity of revelation. 
In the Bible is found what our enlightened reason teaches 
that revelation should contain. There is not in all the 
world another book which answers to these requirements. 
All other sacred books bear no comparison to this, but 
on the other hand show plainly their human origin. 
Paul says, “Where no law is, there is no transgression,” 
which is a just principle in the Divine and all human 
governments. The fact then that God holds man amen¬ 
able to the moral law, rewarding virtue and punishing 
vice, is a strong proof that he has furnished the world a 
knowledge of that law. Justice requires it and the Lord 
of the whole earth will do right. 


56 


Christian Doctrines 


The Divine thoughts are absolutely perfect. God 
knows all things, and he is infinitely wise. “He is too 
wise to err, and too good to be unkind,” so we must 
conclude that in devising plans and laws for man they 
are the best possible, and that they will work out for 
the race the highest possible good. Bear in mind that 
all he thinks or does for us is right, that his revealed 
Word was given at the right time, in the right way, and 
that it is what man most needs. 

In communicating his will to the world he employed 
human language, which is imperfect, as all human pro¬ 
ductions are and ever will be; and the man to whom his 
truth is revealed is imperfect, and does and always will 
have an imperfect comprehension of his Word and doings 
while in this state of being. A word is but a sign of an 
idea. Could we attach to the words which God employs 
all the breadth and height of meaning which he does, 
we would be able to comprehend perfectly the truth 
which he has given to the world. So while the thoughts 
of God are perfect, there may still appear in his revealed 
Word some things that in our judgment are not right, 
which must be attributed to our inability to apprehend 
the truth as it is in his mind, or his revelation in all the 
scope of meaning which it is intended to convey. Scholars 
have been and are being rewarded with increasing light 
shed on the sacred pages with the advance of honest and 
patient research. The thoughts of God with reference to 
man will become more and more clearly understood with the 
progress of the centuries and the consequent enlightenment. 


Inspiration oj the Holy Scriptures 


57 


It is marvelous how few and unimportant are the errors 
to be found in the Scriptures, and that the few can be so 
easily traced to copyists, or neglect of proper precaution 
in the transcription and preservation of the records. 
All necessary truth for the salvation of the souls of men, 
for the development and improvment of individual 
character, and the establishment of sound civil govern¬ 
ments is contained therein, and the language employed 
is sufficiently plain so that none need mistake. No 
human mind could have made such use of language, could 
have so protected it from error, or forecast the results 
of its critical interpretation. None but God could doit. 

On the mode of inspiration there are two views held 
by orthodox Christians: 

1. That the sacred writers were so directed and con¬ 
trolled by the Holy Spirit that the thoughts and even 
the words of the Holy Scriptures were so inspired as to 
make an absolutely correct record of the truths God has 
revealed to man. 

2. That the writers were so inspired by the Holy 
Spirit as to make a record of the thoughts of the Holy 
Scriptures, but were left free to select the words, and use 
their own style of presentation; yet they were so under the 
direction of the Holy Spirit as to be shielded from error, 
both in the thoughts and the selection of the words. In 
support of the latter view, it is urged that the different 
books of which the Bible is composed, written by differ¬ 
ent men, show different styles, such as we would expect 
to find in works written by various authors. Both views 


58 


Christian Doctrines 


require full or plenary inspiration. The reader may 
choose whichever of these views appears the more 
reasonable. 

On the degree of inspiration there are also two differ¬ 
ent views held: 

1. That generally held by the church has already 
been mentioned: plenary or full inspiration of every truth 
and statement made by the sacred writers, so that if we 
could ascertain exactly what were the original Holy 
Scriptures they would be free from error. This view 
is in harmony with reason and the facts. In the preser¬ 
vation of the Holy Scriptures there have been some mani¬ 
fest inaccuracies which have crept into the sacred text. 
But this is to be expected in ancient writings which have 
been transmitted through so many centuries and passed 
under the hands of so many copyists. It is the case with 
all ancient writings. The marvel is that so few mistakes 
can be found in the Scriptures, affecting in no essential 
degree its teachings. Different views regarding many 
things taught therein, held by orthodox Christians, and 
on which they cannot agree, must be accounted for on 
the supposition that the finite comprehension is incapable 
of understanding correctly infinite truth. On all essen¬ 
tial points God has made us to agree. 

2. A few hold that the Bible is so inspired as to pre¬ 
sent with all required fullness the great truths essential 
for man to know, and is termed essential inspiration. 
The insuperable objection to this last opinion is that it 
places the Bible on the same plane as other books, 


Inspiration oj the Holy Scriptures 59 

through which is interspersed many valuable truths from 
God, but so mixed up with the sayings of men, that no 
man or angel could distinguish which is true. 

The sacred writers were honest and earnest men, cer¬ 
tainly the best produced in the ages in which they lived. 
Many of them attested the truths which they wrote and 
taught by suffering martyrdom, and all were willing to. 
How did they regard their writings? Did they consider 
themselves especially inspired by God to write them? 
From the promise of the Saviour they had good reason to 
expect inspiration. In John 14:26, he says, “But the 
Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father 
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and 
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I 
have said unto you.” This was just what was needed by 
the writers of the New Testament, a Divine inspiration 
to teach them all things which God for the first time 
wished to reveal to them, and bring to their remembrance 
what Jesus had done and taught. John 16:13, “When 
he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all 
truth.” This is a very positive declaration that they 
should be divinely guided in their understanding and 
recording of the truth. In Luke 24:49, Jesus said, “And 
behold I send the promise of my Father upon you; but 
tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with 
power from on high.” These promises were made to 
the disciples, who afterward wrote the New Testament, 
and their fulfillment began with the bestowment of the 
Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Afterward their 


6o 


Christian Doctrines 


discernment, utterances and writings were exalted by the 
gift of power. In speaking of this inspiration Paul says 
for himself, and he doubtless includes his fellow-apostles: 
i Cor. i: 12, 13, “Now we have received, not the spirit of 
the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might 
know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which 
things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wis¬ 
dom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth.” Here 
is a direct claim that their teachings were inspired by the 
Holy Spirit, and a denial that they were received from 
man. Again Paul makes the claim of inspiration in un¬ 
equivocal terms: Gal. 1: n, 12, “I certify you brethren, 
that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after 
man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I 
taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Here 
he states that the Gospel was revealed to him by Jesus 
Christ. 

In regard to the Old Testament the idea of inspiration 
was familiar to the apostles and the Jewish people. Paul 
says, 2 Tim. 3:16, “All” Holy “Scripture is given by 
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for re¬ 
proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly fur¬ 
nished into all good works.” This statement is made re¬ 
garding the Old Testament Scriptures, and is a clear 
affirmation that they were inspired of God. Peter says, 
2 Peter 1: 21, “For the prophecy came not in old time 
by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as 
they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Here he declares 


Inspiration oj the Holy Scriptures 61 

that the Scriptures were written by holy men, inspired 
of God. 

The question of the inspiration of the Old Testament 
is set at rest by the use which the Saviour made of it. He 
taught it, accepted it as authority, nor did he on any oc¬ 
casion criticise it. While he criticised unsparingly the 
traditions of the elders, the corrupt practices of the Jewish 
teachers, and every false doctrine which came in his way, 
he says nothing against the Holy Scriptures. In this re¬ 
spect he is an example for all Christian teachers. His 
disciples followed his example, for none of them ques¬ 
tioned the inspiration and obligation of the Scriptures. 
Jesus frequently affirmed their binding obligations; Matt. 
5:17-19, “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, 
or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one 
jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till 
all be fulfilled.” The term “Law, or the Prophets,” as 
used by the Saviour, included the whole of the books of 
the Old Testament as we have them to-day. His sanc¬ 
tion is placed on them all. Admit that Jesus taught 
nothing but the truth, and the acceptance of the Holy 
Scriptures as the word of God follows. “One jot or one 
tittle” in this case means that we are not to reject any part, 
not even the least of God’s word. In quoting the Holy 
Scriptures as authoritative and binding he frequently 
used such expressions as the following: “They have 
Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. . r . If 
they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they 


62 


Christian Doctrines 


be persuaded though one rose from the dead;” used in the 
parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Again he says, 
“It is written,” used by him three times during the temp¬ 
tation; “This is the Law and the Prophets,” “For all the 
Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,” “In 
them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias,” “Have ye not 
read,” “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, . . . have 
ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, say¬ 
ing.” In these instances Jesus affirms the binding obli¬ 
gation of the Scriptures, exhorts his hearers to read them 
and states that they are the word of God. Everywhere 
and on every occasion he is the uncompromising defender 
of God’s word. He put his final seal of approval on the 
Old Testament by saying to his disciples and the multi¬ 
tude, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ 
seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that 
observe and do.” They were the public teachers, and 
expounders of the Old Testament Scriptures, and the 
Saviour directed his hearers to attend on their instruction, 
and regard the requirements of God’s law contained 
therein. 

In regard to the ethical teachings of the Bible, or rules 
for human conduct, we know them to be true. In our 
enlightened judgment, formed in a Christian civilization, 
all experience goes to prove their beneficent influence. 
This fact, that they are uniformly good, tends to prove 
their divine origin; for no man, or set of men, has ever 
been able to produce a code of morals which has improved 
the character of men, unaided by revelation. 


Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures 63 

The great doctrines of religion contained in the Holy 
Scriptures, such as the existence of God, the attributes 
of his nature, that he is the Creator and the Governor of 
the universe, that man is under a law to love and obey 
him, and that we must love one another to dwell peace¬ 
ably together, are all manifestly true and point to a 
higher origin than man. No man has ever shown a 
capacity to furnish them. 

Some object to the Old Testament because they believe 
its ethical tone is below the standard of the New Testa¬ 
ment. It should be remembered that the obligation to 
obey law begins with its enactment and publication. 
The Sacred Scriptures were given to the world in writing 
through a period of more than 1500 years, a little at a 
time as the people were by education and enlightenment 
prepared to receive them. In the Mosaic and prophetic 
dispensations holy men lived up to the light they had. 
They could do no more. Because of the hardness of the 
people’s hearts Moses permitted men to divorce their 
wives. No better statute could be enforced then. Be¬ 
cause the Canaanites had become an apostate people God 
ordered their extermination, but not till he had long 
borne with them. The Imprecatory Psalms belong to 
periods of violence, when lawlessness and crime were in a 
deadly conflict against righteous authority. Abraham, 
Jacob, David and Solomon were polygamists, but they 
did not know better. There did not exist at that time a 
law against a plurality of wives. Paul said, “Where no 
law is there is no transgression.” In their darkness, to 


6 4 


Christian Doctrines 


them it was not sin. So many things in the Old Testa¬ 
ment can reasonably be explained by considering the 
times, ignorance and condition of the people; and that 
the obligation to obey the law of God was only binding 
as that law became revealed to the world. The characters 
in the Old Testament are not held up to us as examples 
in every particular, but as a faithful record of how they 
lived. Their virtues are commended, while their vices 
are condemned. Jesus is the only perfect example. Even 
an apostle said, “Follow me, as I follow Christ.” It re¬ 
mained for Jesus and his apostles to unfold the high obli¬ 
gations of the New Testament. The great principles 
of righteousness are alike in the Old and New Testa¬ 
ments, as far as announced in both, but revelation was a 
progressive unfolding of the truth through many centuries 
until, in the fullness of time, Christ came who, with 
the New Testament writers, was to complete the work of 
revelation. 

All of the requirements of a revelation from God are 
found in the Holy Scriptures. No possible important 
evidence can be conceived which is not there furnished. 
God has made his will known to man from the time of 
his creation. As soon as there was a written language 
sufficiently copious he directed holy men to reduce his 
revelation to writing, and he attested his word and the 
authority of his messengers by miracles and prophecy. 
The contents of the Sacred Scriptures surpass any possible 
production of uninspired men in any age; none but God 
could indite them. Christianity has furnished the best 


Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures 65 

examples of noble character, and it holds out to men the 
only perfect ideals to which they may aspire. The 
Christ of the Gospels is the only perfect man, and the 
perfection of his system, with its beneficent influence on 
the world, finds its only explanation in his divinely 
inspired truth. 


CHAPTER V 


miracles and prophecy 

In defining a miracle we must distinguish between acts 
which clearly have a Divine origin, and yet are contrary 
to the established order of nature; and acts which may 
be performed by created beings, however wonderful they 
may appear to be. Any act of man, of created spiritual 
beings, or movement of nature in harmony with natural 
law is natural. An event, to be a miracle, must be some¬ 
thing which God alone can do, and which cannot in any 
way be attributed to natural causes. An angel may do 
a thing which is superhuman, is more than man can do; 
but he cannot do a supernatural act, suspend the course 
of nature. God alone can perform supernatural acts. 

Definitions of a miracle: A. A. Hodge, D. D., says, 
It is “an event occurring in the material world, obvious 
to the senses, of such a nature that it can be rationally 
referred only to the immediate act of God as its direct 
cause, accompanying a teacher of religion sent from God, 
and designed to authenticate his divine commission.” 

James H. Fairchild, D. D., says, “Miracles come with 
revelation, and are the divinely appointed seal and proof 
of revelation, . . . and here we shall need to inquire 
what characterizes a miracle? To this the proper answer 
is, it is an event which is supernatural and superhuman.” 

A miracle is an event contrary to , or a suspension of , a 
66 


Miracles and Prophecy 


67 


law 0} nature , wrought by the power of God, as evidence oj 
the truth oj Revelation as from him, or to attest the author¬ 
ity oj some divinely appointed person . A miracle is a sign 
or seal of the true prophet with a message from God. 

A supernatural event is one which is above, exceeding 
the ordinary course of nature, or a suspension of natural 
law. It is natural for the waves to roll before the wind, 
but it would be supernatural to stop them and the wind 
with a word, and therefore a miracle. It is natural for 
men to die, but it is supernatural to raise the dead to 
life; thus the act would be a miracle. Some things are 
unusual, such as an eclipse, an earthquake, or the appear¬ 
ance of a comet, but they are not miracles; for they are 
a part of the course of nature, as much so as the succession 
of day and night. Natural law, being God’s ordinary 
way of governing the natural world, he can suspend in a 
certain case; then for some beneficent purpose he can 
produce the opposite result, which would be a miracle. 

Some object to miracles because, they say, “The world 
is governed by fixed laws which cannot be interfered with.” 
This supposition is absurd. Who ever heard of a law 
of any kind doing anything? A law on the statute book 
can do nothing. It requires active agents to execute it, 
the officers of the law. So natural law means the order 
which God has given to nature, but it requires his active 
power to cause any one of these laws to operate. Our 
reason teaches us that nothing can act except under the 
control of power intelligently directing it. God’s hand 
is in every movement of nature, or natural law would be 


68 


Christian Doctrines 


as inoperative as statute law without state officers. 
This being true is it not clear that he can suspend his 
action in the natural order, and do the opposite if it 
would best serve his interest to do so? He has caused 
the waters to settle in the beds of the seas. May not the 
same power which has given them the force which we 
call gravitation, cause them to stand in a heap on each 
side of a passageway through the sea, so that his chosen 
people can escape from their enemies, and be a standing 
proof of his providential care over his loved ones? Hume’s 
objection that a miracle is impossible, because opposed to 
or contrary to natural law, is therefore unfounded. God 
cannot act against himself. He ceases to act in nature 
in the ordinary manner before he can act in the opposite 
way and perform a miracle. But it is plain to intelligent 
reason that God can as easily act in one direction as 
another; that he can continue the course of nature, or 
suspend it at will, when to do so will best serve the in¬ 
terests of his kingdom. All the miracles of the Bible 
were to advance his cause in the earth, furnishing suffi¬ 
cient reasons for the performance of them. 

Superhuman is something above the wisdom or power 
of man to produce. A miracle, to be genuine, must be 
beyond the power of man or any other created being. 
A sleight of hand, such as the magicians used before 
Pharaoh in imitation of the miracles performed by Moses, 
is not a miracle. It may deceive the eye and the inex¬ 
perienced may consider it marvelous, but it is simply the 
trick of the juggler. Here we must distinguish between 


Miracles and Prophecy 


69 


a genuine miracle and an imitation. The sacred books 
of heathen nations contain reports of alleged miracles, 
calculated to deceive the ignorant and over-credulous, 
but the light of intelligent criticism shows that they are 
not genuine. They are either the trick of some juggler 
or something merely reported to ha\ne been performed 
away from the observation of all, except those interested 
in the deception. Not so with the miracles recorded in 
the Holy Scriptures. They have stood the test of time, 
and are no nearer a scientific explanation than when 
performed. All Egypt knew of the plagues brought on 
that people through Moses. The whole Israelitish 
nation passed through the Red Sea as on dry ground. 
They crossed the river Jordan on dry ground at a time 
when it was usual for it to overflow its banks. During 
forty years in the wilderness their clothing did not wax 
old, and they were fed with bread from heaven. 

The miracles of Jesus were before the gaze of the 
multitudes. Through all the cities and provinces as he 
passed they brought to him the sick, and he healed them 
all. He cleansed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, 
raised the dead to life, and he never failed in a single 
instance. So the miracles of the Scriptures were so stu¬ 
pendous, performed under circumstances where decep¬ 
tion was impossible, that no doubt can exist in the minds 
of intelligent men in any age regarding their genuineness. 
Admitting that revelation requires miracles to attest its 
claims to a divine origin, we find in the miracles of the 
Bible all the proofs of their genuineness which sound 


70 


Christian Doctrines 


criticism demands. All other sacred books and pretended 
workers of miracles have failed to furnish evidence de¬ 
serving serious attention. 

May not an evil angel, who has greater power than 
man, perform an act which is superhuman and thereby 
deceive many? This is not denied in the Scriptures, 
and it may be possible to a limited extent, but it need not 
deceive the Christian. An angel can do a superhuman 
act, but he cannot do a supernatural act. This is a true 
test of a miracle. It must be supernatural, such as God 
alone can do. Regarding the danger of deception from 
evil spirits, an apostle said, “Believe not every spirit, but 
try the spirits whether they be of God: because many 
false prophets have gone out into the world.” The Israel¬ 
ites were instructed how to detect evil prophets who 
might be aided by some demon in performing wonderful 
deeds, Deut. 13:1-3, “If there arise among you a prophet, 
or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a won¬ 
der; and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he 
spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which 
thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt 
not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that 
dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth you, 
to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all 
your heart and with all your soul.” Here the test is a 
plain one and can be applied even by the most ignorant 
person. Any sign or wonder used to lead a person from 
the true God and a holy life is not to be regarded. In 
heathen nations our missionaries especially instruct the 


Miracles and Prophecy 


n 

converts to Christianity to distinguish between the ap¬ 
parent miracles of pretenders and the real miracles of the 
Bible. In Bible times it has been and is now among 
heathen tribes, easy to deceive the ignorant; but it is 
doubtful if any false prophet could meet with much suc¬ 
cess among intelligent people in an enlightened Christian 
country in our day. Among the ignorant, evil and 
vicious some pretenders have had success, but the more 
intelligent among them were not deceived, for they knew 
or very soon learned the deception. 

When God called men to do certain things it was 
necessary for them to be convinced that he spoke to 
them. It was also necessary that his servants should 
have their authority attested when they came be¬ 
fore the people with a message from God. When 
God spoke to Moses he was convinced that it was the 
voice of God by seeing the burning bush which was not 
consumed, and thus prepared to obey his command. 
As he appeared before Pharaoh God attested his author¬ 
ity by a succession of miracles of the most stupendous 
character. It was asking much of a heathen king to 
liberate a nation of slaves, so Moses must offer some con¬ 
vincing proof that God had ordered it. When the plagues 
came on Egypt successively at the call of Moses they were 
absolutely convincing to reasonable and fair-minded men. 
The fact that they came in quick succession at Moses’ word, 
affecting the whole land, places beyond all question their 
miraculous nature. But the king was not a fair- 
minded man. He sent for the magicians who imitated 


72 


Christian Doctrines 


some of the miracles of Moses. The whole land was 
afflicted by the plagues, which was clearly miraculous; 
but the jugglers could imitate only so far as they could 
deceive the eye by a sleight of hand. They could easily 
throw down serpents which had been concealed in place 
of their rods before the king, or frogs in a place 
cleared for them, etc.; but more than that they could 
not do. The deception which they practiced had none 
of the characteristics of true miracles. The king, like 
bad men in every age, preferred to believe a lie because 
it suited best his inclination. The passage of a whole 
nation through the Red Sea and the destruction of the 
Egyptian army in the bed of the sea were clearly super¬ 
natural. Gideon needed assurance that the angel sent 
to him had a message from God so he brought fire out of 
the rock. Israel had so far lapsed into idolatry in the 
time of Ahab that it was necessary for God to attest the 
authority of Elijah, his prophet, and convince the people 
that he was the true God; so when Elijah prayed, the fire 
descended from heaven on the sacrifice and consumed it, 
the stones of the altar, and the water in the trenches. 

In New Testament times when John heard of the 
preaching of Jesus he sent two of his disciples to ask proof 
of his authority and claims to Messiahship. They said 
to Jesus, “Art thou he that should come, or look we for 
another?” In reply the Saviour said, “Go your way, and 
tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that 
the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the 
deaf hear, the dead are raised up, to the poor the Gospel 


Miracles and Prophecy 


73 


is preached.” This message convinced John that Jesus 
was the Christ. The Saviour claimed that his miracles 
proved his Messiahship when he said to the Jews, “The 
works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same 
works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath 
sent me.” The mighty miracles which Jesus wrought 
were a witness to the truth of his claims. The apostles 
claim a divine call to preach, and they pray that God will 
attest it by miraculous power attending their ministry. 
They said, “And now Lord, behold their threatenings; 
and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they 
may speak thy word, by stretching forth thy hand to heal; 
and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of 
thy holy child Jesus.” The terms, signs and wonders, 
were well understood by the Jews as referring to miracles. 
God had said to Moses, “Thou shalt do these signs and 
wonders in the midst of Egypt,” referring to the miracu¬ 
lous infliction of the plagues, so that from the time of 
Moses they had been familiar with such use of the terms. 
The disciples of our Lord made the same use of these 
words. 

Again miracles are mentioned as a confirmation of the 
truth of the Gospel, “How shall we escape if we neglect 
so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken 
by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that 
heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with 
signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts 
of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.” So God 
bore witness to the truth of the Gospel by miracles. Paul 


74 


Christian Doctrines 


makes this claim to apostleship, “Truly the signs of an 
apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs 
and wonders, and mighty deeds.” Here he affirms that 
miracles are a proof that he is a true apostle. Nicodemus 
voiced the opinion of his day when he said to Jesus, 
“We know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no 
man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God 
be with him. ,, So miracles are used in the Holy Scrip¬ 
tures to prove the authority of God’s inspired prophets, 
of Christ and his apostles; and that the records they have 
given to the world emanated from him. To aid the Bible 
student in pursuing this study, I shall refer him to some 
of the most noted miracles, and indicate the central 
thought. 

Miracles wrought by Moses and Aaron: Their rod be¬ 
came a serpent, and swallowed the serpents of the magi¬ 
cians, Ex. 7:10-12. The waters of the Nile, and all 
streams and ponds in Egypt were turned into blood, 19-21. 
A succession of the plagues followed at the call of Moses 
as God directed. The land was covered with frogs, 8: 6. 
The dust became lice, 17, 18. Swarms of flies came, 24. 
Death of the cattle from murrain, 9: 3-6; boils and blains 
came, 10, n. Thunder, hail and fire, 23-36; the locusts 
came, 10: 12-15. Great darkness, 21-23; the death of 
the first-born, 11:4-7; 12:3-13, 21-23, 29-31; dividing 
of the Red Sea, 14:19-31; the sweetening of the bitter 
waters of Marah, 15: 23-25; water was brought from the 
rock at Rephidim, 17:1-7; victory of Israel over Amalek, 
8-14. 


Miracles and Prophecy 


75 


Those wrought by Elijah: The handful of meal 
and the little oil in a cruse that did not fail, i Kings 
17: 8-16; raised to life the widow’s son, 17-24; the sacrifice 
was consumed by fire from heaven, 18: 21-39; r3 * n 
after a long drought, 41-46; the fire from heaven which 
consumed the two captains and their fifties, 2 Kings 1:1- 
16; dividing the river Jordan, and ascent of Elijah into 
heaven, 2:1-12. 

Those wrought by Elisha: Dividing of the river Jordan, 
2 Kings 2: 13-15; healing of the waters, 19-22; the supply 
of water, 3: 6-20; increased the oil, 4:1-7; raised to life 
the son of the Shunammite, 18-37; prevented the fatal 
effects of poison, 38-41; fed one hundred with a few 
loaves, 42-44; cured Naaman’s leprosy, 5: 1-27; made iron 
to swim, 6:1-7; smote the host of Syria with blindness, 
8-23. 

The miracles of Christ distinguish him from all the 
prophets who preceded him, both in their number and 
the manner of doing them. All the prophets and Moses 
acted in the name of the Lord who sent them, and they 
used miracles sparingly. When Christ entered on his 
public ministry his life and works from the beginning to 
the close, at the ascension, were an almost continuous 
manifestation of supernatural power and wisdom. With 
the exception of a few miracles performed in his Father’s 
name as a witness of his Messiahship, John 10: 25, all 
were wrought in his own name and are not to be attributed 
to any power superior to himself, thus furnishing proof of 
his divine nature. His usual forms of command were, 


76 Christian Doctrines 

“I say unto thee,” Luke 7: 14, or he “rebukes the sea,” 
“commanded the multitudes,” etc. Since the world be¬ 
gan no personage has dwelt on this earth, except the 
Christ, who was able to do anything miraculous at will, 
and who was never appalled in the presence of any diffi¬ 
culty. His miracles also preclude the possibility of any 
imitation. Spiritual healing mediums by passes and 
rubbing have cured some people. Christian Science 
has been able to restore to health some who were suscep¬ 
tible to mental suggestion, termed by physicians “thera¬ 
peutic suggestion,” or mind cure. But all these require 
frequent calls, as a rule, help comparatively few, and are 
so clearly traceable to natural causes that no intelligent 
man need be deceived by them. Not so with Christ. 
When the sick were brought to him in all the regions 
through which he passed, he healed them all with a word 
or a touch, by a word the tempest was stilled, and the 
dead heard his voice and rose to life. The number and 
magnitude of them was so great that we must conclude 
that in the person of Jesus Christ “God was manifest in 
the flesh.” 

Miracles attendant on Christ’s coming, and those which 
he performed: His conception in the womb of the Virgin 
Mary by the creative power of the Holy Spirit was a 
miracle, Matt. 1: 18-20; The guiding star, Matt. 
2' 1, 2, 7-12. He turned water into wine, John 2:5-11; 
healed a nobleman’s son, John 4: 49-54; the miraculous 
draught of fishes, Luke 5:4-7; cured a demoniac, Mark 
1: 23-26; healed Peter’s wife’s mother, Matt. 8:14,15; he 


Miracles and Prophecy 


77 


healed all the sick people who were brought to him, Matt. 
4: 23, 24; cured the leper, 8: 2, 3; healed the paralytic, 
9:2-7; cured the impotent man, John 5:2-9; the withered 
hand, Matt. 12:9-13; he healed many, Mark 3:9-11; 
the centurion’s servant, Matt. 8: 5-13; raised to life the 
widow’s son, Luke 7: n-15; healed a demoniac, Matt. 
9:32, 33; stilled the tempest, 8:23-27; cast out many 
devils, 28-34; healed the woman of a blood issue, 9: 20-22; 
raised to life the daughter of Jairus, 18, 23-25; restored 
the sight of two blind men, 27-30; gave power to the 
apostles to heal, 10: 1; he cured many, 14: 14; fed five 
thousand with five loaves and two fishes, 15-21; walked 
on the sea, 22-33; healed the daughter of the Syropheni- 
cian woman, 15:21-28; cured one who was deaf and 
dumb, Mark 7:31-35; many healed, Matt. 15:29-31; 
fed four thousand with seven loaves and a few fishes, 
32-38; cured a blind man, Mark 8: 22-25; caused a fish 
to bring the tribute money, Matt. 17: 24-27; gave sight 
to a man who was born blind, John 9: 1-7; healed a 
woman who had been sick eighteen years, Luke 13: 10-13; 
ten lepers cleansed, 17: n-19; raised Lazarus from the 
dead, John 11:1-44; two blind men receive sight, 
Matt. 20: 29-34; the miraculous draught of fishes after 
Christ’s resurrection, John 21:1-14. These are some 
of the recorded miracles of our Lord, while the number 
.not recorded must have been very great, John 21:25. 

Miracles wrought by the apostles in Christ’s name: 
Peter healed the lame man, Acts 3: 1-10; signs and won¬ 
ders were wrought by the apostles, and all the sick who 


7« 


Christian Doctrines 


were brought to them were cured, 5: 12-16. Paul healed 
a cripple, 14: 8-10. Paul restored Eutychus to life, 20: 7- 
10. The venomous serpent did not harm Paul, 28: 1-6. 
Paul healed the father of Publius, and many others, 7-9. 

PROPHECY 

Prophecy is the foretelling future events only known 
to God, and which no finite mind could possibly forecast. 
These are of two classes: 

1. Acts which God in his providence purposed to do, 
which are not a part of the natural order of the universe. 

2. Acts which are contingent on the choice of created 
intelligent beings, men and spiritual beings. 

It is plain that none but God can foretell with certainty 
what he will do by his providences in the future, or what 
men and spiritual intelligences will choose to do. We 
may foresee to a limited extent future events, dependent 
on natural law, but we cannot know with certainty what 
a man will do an hour from now. A man may think he 
will do a thing in the future, but he is not certain of it. 
In the matter of foreknowledge there is nothing in the hu¬ 
man mind analogous to that of God. He can foresee 
events dependent on the choice of men as easily as those 
dependent on natural law. In fact, what we term the 
fixed laws of nature are but his purposes regarding the 
order of things. So all events are the choice of some 
mind, of God, or created beings. We are taught that 
what we consider the fixed course of nature is by no means 
permanently fixed, for all material substances will be 


Miracles and Prophecy 


79 


dissolved at a time we know not when. Peter said, “The 
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele¬ 
ments shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the 
works that are therein shall be burnt up.” The certainty 
of all foreknowledge is therefore with God. 

It being true that man cannot foretell with certainty 
contingent events, and if there be a reliable record of 
predictions regarding men and nations made, in some in¬ 
stances, years or centuries before the time of their fulfill¬ 
ment, and these predictions have been literally fulfilled, 
then we must conclude that God is the author of those 
prophecies, and that the record was divinely inspired. 
The Holy Scriptures contain many such prophecies. In 
numerous cases the prediction is so plain that it reads 
like the history of its fulfillment. Some prophecies are 
yet to be accomplished, which may render them somewhat 
obscure, but when the dawn of their glory bursts on our 
view they will be clearly understood. 

What is the purpose of prophecy? Like that of mir¬ 
acles, it is to establish the claims of the Holy Scriptures 
to a divine origin; also to furnish proof that God’s ap¬ 
pointed servants have received their authority from him. 
None but God can make reliable predictions of the nature 
recorded in the Bible, so they reveal to us God in prophecy. 

The objections made to prophecy have been so insig¬ 
nificant as to not be worthy of much attention. They 
have been compared to heathen oracles by the enemies 
of Christianity, a supposition which cannot be sustained, 
for there is no important resemblance. Their oracles 


8 o 


Christian Doctrines 


were manifest deceptions, made under circumstances 
where they could easily be practiced and where intelli¬ 
gent men would presume in all reason that they were 
deceptions. Not so with the prophecies of the Bible. 
In no case could the prophet or any accomplice affect the 
result. They are all what we would reasonably expect 
to come from the Divine Mind. 

It will now be interesting to study a few of the most 
noted prophecies. In fact, the Bible is luminous with 
predictions regarding the Messiah, its central figure; of 
the growth and triumphs of his church; of the rise, for¬ 
tunes, and final dispersion of God’s chosen people, the 
Jews, and of many other of the most noted events in the 
world’s history. For those who are so disposed the 
study of some valuable works on prophecy would be very 
profitable; but the subject is so vast, and the number of 
clear cases so great, that it is impossible in the limits of 
this volume to more than present a few of the most marked 
to illustrate this chapter. 

Prophecies regarding the Messiah are very numerous 
and conclusive. Regarding his coming: “The Lord 
thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst 
of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall 
hearken. . . . And it shall come to pass, that whoso¬ 
ever will not hearken unto my word which he shall speak 
in my name, I will require it of him.” Deut. 18: 15, 19. 
Until the time of Christ no prophet could be compared 
to Moses. When Christ came and the people saw his 
wonderful works they exclaimed, “A great prophet is risen 


Miracles and Prophecy 


81 


up among us,” Luke 7:16. As Christ fed the multitudes, 
they said, “This is of a truth that prophet that should 
come into the world,” John 6: 14. There was an ex¬ 
pectation among the people that a remarkable prophet 
would arise like Moses. Peter applied this prophecy to 
Christ, saying, “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, 
a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of 
your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all 
things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall 
come to pass that every soul, which will not hear that 
prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people,” 
Acts 3: 22, 23. Not only did Christ come according to 
this prophecy, but the Jews who accepted him were saved 
when Jerusalem was destroyed, while those who rejected 
him were cut off, or scattered to the ends of the earth. 

Isaiah thus prophesied the coming of Christ, and also 
described with wonderful accuracy his twofold nature: 
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and 
the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name 
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, 
The Father of the Everlasting Age, The Prince of Peace,” 
Isa. 9: 6. Again he says, “Therefore thus saith the Lord, 
Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried 
stone, a sure foundation,” Isa. 28: 16. A little more 
than 700 years after Isaiah prophesied, Christ was bom. 
An angel said to the shepherds, “For unto you is born 
this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ 
the Lord,” Luke 2:11. Jesus claimed the right to 
govern. When giving his last charge to his disciples be- 


82 


Christian Doctrines 


fore his ascension, he said, “All power (or authority) is 
given unto me in heaven and in earth,” Matt. 28:18. 
John said “The Word (Christ) was God,” John 1: 1. 
The angels sang at the birth of Jesus, “On earth peace, 
good will toward men,” Luke 2:14. So we find in Christ 
all things predicted by the prophet. 

The Psalmist said, “The stone which the builders re¬ 
fused is become the headstone of the corner,” Psa. 118:22. 
Jesus applied this prophecy to himself: “Jesus said unto 
them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone 
which the builders rejected, the same is become the 
head of the corner,” Matt. 21:42. Peter applies it to 
Christ in his address to the rulers of Israel and others: 
“This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, 
which is become the head of the comer,” Acts 4:11. 

A remarkable prophecy was made regarding Christ 
more than 1600 years before he came and about 500 years 
before there was a king in Israel. Jacob, in blessing his 
sons, said to Judah, “The Sceptre shall not depart from 
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh 
(Christ) come,” Gen. 49: 10. Two very important facts 
are here stated: 

1. That the line of kings should be in the tribe of 
Judah. 

2. That when established it should remain a kingdom 
until Christ should come. The fact is, the kingdom, 
after the death of Saul, was in the line of David, a descend¬ 
ant of Judah, where it remained until Christ came. 
Herod, the great, was on the throne when Christ came, 


Miracles and Prophecy 


83 


and the last king who ever ruled in Judea. It is said 
of Herod that he was an Idumean, but when the Idumeans 
were reduced by the Maccabees they embraced Judaism 
and were then incorporated into Judea, making Hebron 
their capital. Hebron had been the first capital of Israel. 
The most satisfactory view is to understand this prophecy 
as meaning that Judah should remain a kingdom until 
the time of Christ. 

The Psalmist said, “Judah i s my lawgiver,” Psa. 60: 7. 
This accords with the prophecy of Jacob. None but 
God could have enabled Jacob to predict that the royal 
line should be in the tribe of Judah, that it should make 
and enforce the laws, and continue a kingdom until the 
time of Christ, a period of nearly 1700 years after the 
time of Jacob. 

More than 500 years before Christ came the prophet 
Haggai said regarding the second temple, which was re¬ 
modeled and improved by Herod, though it was inferior 
in many ways to the first, that the Lord said, “And I will 
shake all nations, and the desire (Christ) of all nations 
shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the 
Lord of hosts. . . . The glory of this latter house 
shall be greater than of the former,” Hag. 2:7,9. Christ 
did come and fill this second temple with the glory of his 
presence. The City of Jerusalem and the temple were 
destroyed soon after his crucifixion, as he said, “For the 
day shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast 
• a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep 
thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the 


8 4 


Christian Doctrines 


ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall 
not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou 
knowest not the time of thy visitation,” Luke 19: 43, 44. 
Of the temple he said, ‘There shall not be left here one 
stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” 
Matt. 24: 2. When Jerusalem was destroyed, Titus, the 
Roman general, tried at first to save the temple, but God 
had decreed otherwise; so later Terentius Rufus ordered 
its site to be furrowed with the plowshare. Both the 
prophecies of Haggai and our Saviour were literally 
fulfilled. 

Seven hundred years before Christ came it was pre¬ 
dicted that he would be born in Bethlehem, Micah 5: 2. 
When Herod heard of the birth of Christ he called the 
chief priests and scribes to inquire of the place he should 
be bom,and theysaid, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it 
is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land 
of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for 
out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my 
people Israel,” Matt. 2:5, 6. The prophet Isaiah said, 
more than seven hundred years before he came, that he 
should be bom of a virgin; “Behold a virgin shall con¬ 
ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” 
Isa. 7:14. The angel of God said to Joseph, the es¬ 
poused husband of the virgin Mary, before the birth of 
Jesus, “Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for 
that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit,” 
Matt. 1:20. He then quotes to him the prophecy of 
Isaiah. 


Miracles and Prophecy 


85 


The prophecies regarding Christ are so numerous and 
minute that they cover to a large extent the more impor¬ 
tant events in his history. For the help of those who may 
wish to pursue this interesting study farther, the following 
references are furnished: 

A messenger went before Christ to prepare the way, 
Isa. 4:3; Mai. 3: 1; Mark 1:1-4; Matt. 3: 1-4. Wise 
men were to come and worship him, Isa. 60:3, 6; Matt. 
2: 1-12. The slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem, 
Jer. 31: 15; Matt. 2: 16-18. That Jesus Christ should 
be carried into Egypt, Hos. n: 1; Matt. 2:13-15. His 
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Zech. 9: 9; Matt. 21:1-11. 
He was to be hated and persecuted, Isa. 53:3; Matt. 
8: 17; 1 Peter 2:23, 24; Matt. 26:67. 

Very many facts connected with the trial, crucifixion 
and resurrection of Jesus were foretold by the prophets: 
That he should be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, and 
by one of his friends, Zech. 11: 12, 13; Psa. 41: 9; Matt. 
26:14-16. His disciples forsook him, Zech. 13: 7; Mark 
14: 27. He did not plead on his trial, Isa. 53: 7; Acts 8: 
30-35. They were to cast lots on his vesture, Psa. 22:18; 
Matt. 27:35. They were to pierce his hands and feet, 
Psa. 22:16; Luke 23:33. Nails were driven through 
the hands and feet of persons to be crucified. They were 
to pierce his side, Zech. 12: 10; Luke 19: 34; Rev. 1: 7. 
None of his bones were broken, Psa. 34: 20; John 19: 36. 
He died with malefactors, Isa. 53:9, 12; Matt. 27:38. 
He was to rise from the dead, Psa. 16: 9,10; Acts 2: 24-27. 
Hell in these passages means the grave. 


86 


Christian Doctrines 


A few other noted prophecies: Abraham was told 
that his descendants would be in bondage in Egypt 400 
years and then come out of that country to the land 
promised to him, Gen. 15:13-19; Ex. 12:40-42. .Joseph’s 
advancement, Gen. 37:5-8542:6. Drought in the reign of 
Ahab, 1 Kings 17:1; 18:41-46. The prophet told the 
good king, Hezekiah, that the great Assyrian general, 
Sennacherib, should not enter Jerusalem, 2 Kings 19: 14- 
34; 35-37. The Babylonish captivity, 2 Kings 20:17; 24: 
10-16. The destruction of Babylon, Jer. 51: 24-26; Dan. 
5:1-31. More than 100 years before Cyrus, a heathen 
king, was bom, the prophet, giving the name of this 
general, predicted that he would liberate the Jewish cap¬ 
tives, order the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the laying 
of the foundation of the temple, Isa. 44:28; 45:1-6; 
2 Chron. 36: 22, 23; Jer. 29:10; Ezra 1:1-11. 


CHAPTER VI 


THE TRINITY 

The Holy Scriptures furnish the only reliable proof of 
the doctrine of the Trinity. They present to us God the 
Father as a person, the Son of God as a person, and the 
Holy Spirit as a person. These three persons are one 
God, a Trinity in unity. This is a great mystery, and 
all attempts to explain it have utterly failed. It will be 
interesting to read some views, not because they solve 
the difficulty, but to show how near, or how far men may 
guess from the real facts in the case. 

One writer says, “The Scriptural doctrine seems to be 
that the persons are not separate, but distinct; that they 
are united persons, and so united as to be but one being, 
one God.” 

Bishop Pearson is of the opinion, “That though God 
the Father is the fountain of the Deity, the whole Divine 
Nature is communicated from the Father to the Son, 
and from both to the Holy Spirit; yet so as that the 
Father and the Son are not separate, or separable from 
the Divinity, but do still exist in it and are most inti¬ 
mately united to it.” 

This is an unsearchable truth, and let us look for its 
final explanation to the time when many facts of our 
faith will be revealed in the future life. Our study will 
therefore be to find out what God’s word says about it, 
87 


88 


Christian Doctrines 


and, if it is clearly taught therein, accept it as an article 
of our faith. 

The unity of God is also clearly stated in the Bible, as 
has already been presented under the head of “Divine 
Unity.” Trinitarians and Unitarians both agree on this 
simple proposition, but the Unitarians deny the divinity 
of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Trini¬ 
tarians believe that the Father, the Son of God, and the 
Holy Spirit are equal in substance, eternity, and all the 
attributes of the Divine Nature, yet they are not three 
Gods, but one. We believe the fact of the Trinity is 
clearly taught in the Bible, which should satisfy Chris¬ 
tian faith. That it is a mystery, beyond the comprehen¬ 
sion of men, should not in the least detract from its value 
as an article of faith. As long as it is essential to the 
Christian system, is inwrought into every part of its vast 
structure, and Christ has become the chief comer stone 
of the Christian church, our business is to leam what 
God says and not disturb our minds so much about 
what he has not said. Christian faith has much that is 
mysterious. Who can comprehend what is meant by 
the spirituality of God, or the mode of his existence? 
Yet we accept these on his word. Let us do so in regard 
to this great mystery. 

This doctrine is not based on a few passages of Scrip¬ 
ture only, but it runs through both the Old and New 
Testaments, so it is the tenor of the word of God. This 
chapter on the Trinity should be viewed as an introduc¬ 
tion to this great subject; for the chapters which follow 


The Trinity 


89 


on the divine and human nature of Jesus Christ and the 
divine personality of the Holy Spirit form a part of it; 
in all five chapters. 

It is interesting to know that the great body of Chris¬ 
tians in the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches be¬ 
lieve in this article of our faith; that our divine Father, 
that Christ our Saviour, that the Holy Spirit, our Sancti¬ 
fier, are equal in every attribute of the Divine Nature, 
each Christian organization esteeming it a matter of vital 
importance that this truth should be held by the church. 

In the early Christian church it was generally believed. 
A few statements from the early Fathers, together with 
something of a list of the most distinguished men of those 
times, will be sufficient to make this appear. They 
believed that Christ was the Jehovah of the Old Testa¬ 
ment, the Creator of the world, and that he was truly God: 

Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John, when at the 
stake, said in his last prayer to God: “For all things I 
praise thee; I bless thee, I glorify thee; together with the 
eternal and heavenly Jesus Christ; with whom, unto thee, 
and the Holy Spirit, be glory, both now and forever, 
world without end, Amen.” 

Athenagoras, who was born about the middle of the 
second century, says, “We who preach God, preach God 
the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are one.” 

Tertullian says, “The name of Christ is everywhere 
believed, and everywhere worshipped by all the nations 
mentioned above. He reigns everywhere, and is every- 


90 


Christian Doctrines 


where adored. He is alike to all a King, and to all a 
Judge, and to all a God and a Lord.” 

From the time of the Apostle John until the year 315 
we find the following writers distinctly stating their ad¬ 
herence to the doctrine of the Trinity: Polycarp, a dis¬ 
ciple of John; Justin Martyr; Irenaeus; Theophilus of 
Antioch; Clemens Alexandrinus; Tertullian; Bamabus, 
a companion of the apostles; Hermas, also a companion 
of the apostles; Athenagoras; Tatian, Bishop of Antioch; 
Origen; Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage; and Eusebius. 

Among the heathen writers of this period, who bear 
testimony to the fact that the early church held this view 
of the Trinity, are Pliny, the younger; Celsus; Lucian; 
and Hierocles. With such an array of testimony can any 
doubt remain regarding the belief in the Trinity by the 
early church? 

The ancient Jewish church held to the doctrine of the 
Trinity in unity. Philo of Alexandria; Jonathan; the 
Chaldee Paraphraists; the Jerusalem Targum, and many 
Jewish commentators of the ancient church are very ex¬ 
plicit on this point. These all wrote before Christ’s in¬ 
carnation. Rabbi Judah Hakkadosh, who lived in the 
second century, gave us the faith of the Jewish church in 
his time in the following statement: “God the Father, 
God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; Three in unity, One 
in Trinity.” It is believed that the ancient Jewish 
church held uniformly to this doctrine. The modern 
Jews deny this doctrine, but their hatred of Christ ac¬ 
counts for it. 


The Trinity 


9i 


If heathen nations from remote antiquity have held to 
a Triad in the Divine Nature, it is reasonable to conclude 
that they, having received their first religious ideas from 
the patriarchs, have retained this truth as an article of 
faith. Their religious views, however correct at first, 
were afterward corrupted into the various forms of idol¬ 
atry. The fact that this belief seems to have been held 
in some form by all the great nations of antiquity goes 
to prove that it was generally held by the church of God 
in those remote times. 

Ancient beyond tradition is the Hindoo belief in a 
Triad in Deity. The name of their Godhead is Brahma. 
The three persons are Brahma, Veeshnee, and Seeva. 
Brahma, the Father, or Supreme source; Veeshnee, the 
Mediator, whom they assert has been incarnate; and 
Seeva, the Destroyer and Regenerator. 

Equally well known is the Persian Triad, called by the 
Greeks Oromasdees, Mithras, and Arimanius. Among 
the Hindoos it is held that the second person is a Mediator. 
In the oracles of Zoroaster is this statement: “A Triad of 
Deity shines forth throughout the whole world, of which 
a Monad is the head. ,, 

The Egyptians also, as far back as there is any record, 
believed in a Divine Triad, which they originally desig¬ 
nated as Osisis, Cneph, and Pletha. Afterwards they 
were styled Osisis, Isis, and Typhon. In their symbols 
they showed their God in three forms. 

The Orphic Theology in the most ancient Grecian 
History taught the same doctrine. Orpheus declares 


92 


Christian Doctrines 


that “All things have been made by one Godhead in three 
names; or rather by these names of one Godhead; and 
that this Godhead is all things.” The Greek philosophers, 
some of whom were Pythagoras, Plato, Parmenidees 
and Numenius, extensively acknowledged a Triad. 

Ancient Scandinavians, Romans, Germans and Gauls 
held to this faith. The Japanese and Chinese anciently 
believed in a Triad in the Divine Being. 

This belief was held by many of the Indian tribes at 
the time of the early settlement of this country. The 
Iroquois believed that before the creation of things the 
Great Spirits existed. The Peruvians worshipped a 
Triad, which they styled the Father, and Lord Sun, 
the Son Sun, and the Brother Sun. 

When we see that in all parts of the world, from the 
most remote periods of time, as far as we have any record, 
there was a general belief in a Trinity, the conclusion must 
be reached that this doctrine was early communicated 
to the race. While it has been retained in the Old and 
New Testament churches in a state of purity, it has been 
corrupted by heathen nations into all the forms of 
idolatry. However, the fact that all the ancient nations 
have thus believed proves a common origin, and that it 
must have been believed before the dispersion of nations 
into all parts of the world. 

This subject will be continued in the chapters which 
follow on our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 


CHAPTER VII 


DIVINE NATURE OF CHRIST 

In the beginning of the Gospel by John the statement 
is made that “The Word (Logos) was God.” Here is a 
plain declaration that Christ was God. John also says 
that he was in the beginning with God, and that he cre¬ 
ated all things. That the Word (Logos) was the Christ 
is fixed by the fourteenth verse of this chapter, where his 
incarnation is mentioned, “And the Word (Logos) was 
made flesh and dwelt among us.” 

The supreme divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ is clearly 
proved from the Scriptures of the Old and New Testa¬ 
ments by the names given to him, the attributes of his 
nature, the acts ascribed to him, his divine relations, and 
because worship was rendered to him. 

In the Old Testament God is represented as appearing 
to men on numerous occasions, yet no mortal man has ever 
seen God the Father. Fortunately, this whole question 
is made plain by abundant proofs that the Jehovah of 
the Old Testament was the Christ of the New. In Psalm 
45: 6, 7, and quoted by the Apostle Paul in Heb. 1: 8, 9, 
Christ is called God by the Father, “Unto the Son he saith, 
Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a sceptre of 
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast 
loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, 
even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of glad- 
93 


94 


Christian Doctrines 


ness above thy fellows.” In the first chapter to the 
Hebrews Paul is describing Christ as the Son of God, and 
he introduces this quotation from the Psalms, applying 
it to Christ. Here the Father calls him God, and asserts 
his divinity by declaring that the throne of the Son is 
forever and ever. 

Isaiah describes the Christ as a personage who was to 
come into the world as a child, and yet be clothed with 
all the authority and power of God. He says, “For unto 
us a child is born; unto us a Son is given; and the govern¬ 
ment shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be 
called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the 
Father of the everlasting Age, the Prince of Peace.” 
Isa. 9: 6. This child, which was born in Bethlehem more 
than 700 years after the prophet Isaiah wrote, is the 
Mighty God, the Father of the everlasting age, and 
the Prince of Peace. At his coming the angels heralded 
him as this Prince when they sang, “Glory to God in the 
highest, and on Earth peace, good will towards men,” 
Luke 2: 14. 

The God of Israel described by Moses, by the Psalmist, 
and Paul was the Christ: “Then went up Moses and 
Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of 
Israel. And they saw the God of Israel.” Ex. 24: 9, 10. 
The Psalmist in describing this scene in Sinai said, “The 
chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of 
angels. The Lord is among them, as in Sinai, even 
the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast 
led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts for men.” 


Divine Nature of Christ 


95 


Psa. 68: 17, 18. In the epistle of the Ephesians Paul 
says, “Wherefore he saith, when he ascended on high, he 
led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. (Now 
that he ascended, what is it, but that he descended first 
into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is 
the same, also, that ascended up far above all heavens, 
that he might fill all things.)” Eph. 4: 8-10. Paul tells 
us in the seventh verse of this chapter that the person who 
led captivity captive was Christ; the Psalmist says he 
was the Lord who appeared in Mt. Sinai, and Moses 
says this Lord is the God of Israel. 

Christ is called Jehovah of hosts by the prophet Isaiah: 
“In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw Jehovah sitting 
on his throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the 
temple, and one of the seraphim cried to another, and 
said, Holy, Holy, Holy is Jehovah of Hosts.” Isa. 6:1-3. 
John applies this prophecy to Christ when he says, 
“These things said Esaias when he saw his glory and 
spake of him.” John 12: 41. 

Isaiah said of Christ’s forerunner that he was “The 
voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye 
the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a high¬ 
way for our God.” Isa. 40: 3. When John the Baptist 
was asked, “Who art thou?” he answered, “I am the 
voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the 
way of the Lord, as saith the prophet Esaias.” John 
1: 23. In Mark 1:1-3, John is called the forerunner of 
Christ. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, said 
of him, “And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of 


9 6 


Christian Doctrines 


the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord 
to prepare his ways.” Luke i: 76. So Christ is called 
Jehovah and our God. 

Daniel saw in a vision, and “Behold, one like the Son 
of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the 
Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a 
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should 
serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which 
shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall 
not be destroyed.” Dan. 7:13, 14. Jesus applied this 
prophecy to himself: “And then shall they see the Son of 
man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory.” 
Luke 21:27. Christ frequently applied the term “Son 
of man” to himself. Jesus said, “The Father loveth the 
Son, and hath given all things into his hand.” John 
3: 35. In Rev. 11: 15, it is said, “The kingdoms of this 
world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his 
Christ: and he shall reign forever and ever.” The prophet 
foresaw his universal kingdom, and his everlasting 
dominion. None but God can sway a universal sceptre. 
These references are sufficient to prove that the incarnate 
Christ of the New Testament, who dwelt among men, 
was the same person who revealed himself to the patri¬ 
archs, prophets and holy men of the Old Testament as 
their God and Jehovah. 

An angel is one sent, a messenger of God. In many 
instances in the Old Testament Christ was the angel sent 
by the Father. Jacob wrestled with the Angel at Peniel, 


Divine Nature of Christ 


97 


and he called him God, “And Jacob called the name of 
the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and 
my life is preserved.” Gen. 32:30. Manoah and his 
wife saw an angel which they understood to be God, 
“Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. 
And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, be¬ 
cause we have seen God.” Jud. 13: 21, 22. 

The Angel-Jehovah appeared to Moses in the burning 
bush, “And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in 
a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, 
and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was 
not consumed. . . . And when the Lord saw that he 
turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst 
of the bush and said, Moses, Moses.” Ex. 3: 2-4. Here 
the angel is called God. On this occasion when God 
communicated his name to Moses he said,“I AM THAT 
I AM!” and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the 
children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Ex. 
3:14. The meaning of the term, I AM, as used here, 
is Jehovah, the self-existent and eternal God, the one 
who gives being and existence to all others. Christ ap¬ 
plied this title to himself when he said, “Before Abraham 
was I AM,” John 8:5-8. In making this application, 
the Saviour claims to be God, and also asserts his pre¬ 
existence. 

A very noted passage is found in Dan. 3: 24, 25: “Then 
Nebuchadnezzar the King was astonied, and rose up in 
haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we 
cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They 


9 8 


Christian Doctrines 


answered and said unto the king, True, O King. He an¬ 
swered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the 
midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of 
the fourth is like the Son of God.” Some think that in 
view of the fact that Nebuchadnezzar was a heathen king 
we should render the last clause of the passage, “son of 
the gods;” yet in the very next breath they assert that we, 
as Christians, should affirm that Christ, the second per¬ 
son in the Trinity, was present in the furnace. The fact 
is the king had been in close contact with some noted ones 
among the Jews, some of whom had been promoted to 
important positions in his kingdom, so he had doubtless 
been instructed regarding the Angel-Jehovah, a belief 
generally held by the ancient Jews. Then the great 
heathen nations believed in a Triad in Deity anciently. 
See the chapter on The Trinity. Inasmuch as we believe 
that the fourth person was the Son of God, why not let 
the present rendering stand, and not introduce a suppo¬ 
sition which is at variance with history and sound criti¬ 
cism. Those who wish to make the examination can 
find many more instances in which Christ revealed him¬ 
self during the Old Testament times. 

The names of the Deity are ascribed to Christ. In 
John i: i, Christ is called God, for the term Word (Logos), 
as used here, refers to Christ. “The Word was God.” 
Paul says in the epistle to the Romans 9: 5, “Of whom, 
as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God 
blessed forever.” He is thus called the eternal God. 
In his letter to Timothy, Paul says: “Without contro- 


Divine Nature oj Christ 


99 


versy great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest 
in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached 
unto the gentiles, believed on in the world, and received 
up into glory.” i Tim. 3:16. This can only be said of 
Christ, and the apostle declares that he was God manifest 
in the flesh. 

He is called “the Almighty;” and the “Alpha and 
Omega,” the first and the last, Rev. 1:8; also the 
“Blessed and only Potentate,” 1 Tim. 6:15; “The Bright¬ 
ness of” the Father’s “glory, and the express image of his 
person,” Heb. 1:3; “Emanuel, which, being interpreted, 
is, God with us,” Matt. 1:23; “The Christ,” Matt. 16:20; 
“God of Israel, the Saviour,” Isa. 45: 15; “Christ is the 
head of the church.” Eph. 5:23; “Jesus Christ our 
Lord,” Rom. 1: 3; “Jesus the Son of God,” Heb. 4: 14; 
“Preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all,)” 
Acts 10:36; “The Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” 
Mark 2:28; “Lord God Almighty,” Rev. 15:3; “The 
Mighty God,” Isa. 9:6; “Only God, our Saviour,” Jude 
25; “A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord,’’Luke 2: n; 
“This is the true God.” 1 John 5:2o. No stronger terms 
can be applied to describe the very and external God. 

Christ has the attributes of God, and performs divine 
acts by his own power. He is the creator of all things, 
“All things were made by him.” John 1:3; God the 
Father, “Created all things by Jesus Christ,” Eph. 3:9. 
Paul, in the epistle to the Hebrews, gives this sublime de¬ 
scription of him: “God hath in these last days spoken unto 
us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, 


100 


Christian Doctrines 


by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the bright¬ 
ness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and 
upholding all things by the word of his power, when he 
had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right 
hand of the Majesty on high.” Heb. i: 1-3. Again, in 
his letter to the Colossians he says of Christ, “By him 
were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are 
in earth, visible and invisible; whether they be thrones, 
or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were 
created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, 
and by him all things consist.” Col. 1:16, 17. What 
stronger language can be employed to describe. the 
Almighty God than is used with reference to our Lord? 

Christ’s eternity is proved by his pre-existence, exist¬ 
ence before all created things; for if he existed before 
anything was made, he was himself uncreated, therefore 
eternal. He “was in the beginning with God.” John 
1: 2. He had glory with the father before this world was 
made. Jesus said, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me 
with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee 
before the world was.” John 17: 5. He existed before 
anything was created, “And he is before all things.” Col. 
1: 17. 

Christ is to be the judge of the world at the last day, 
for the Father has committed all judgment unto the Son. 
Jesus said, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, 
and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon 
the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered 
all nations: and he shall separate them one,from another, 


Divine Nature of Christ ioi 

asa shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.” etc., Matt. 
25: 31-46. Peter stated in his address to Cornelius that 
Christ “Commanded us to preach unto the people, and 
to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be 
the Judge of quick and dead,” Acts 10: 42. Paul said at 
Athens that Christ is ordained the Judge of the world: 
“Because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge 
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath 
ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, 
in that he hath raised him from the dead.” Acts 17:31. 
Jesus said that the Father had committed to him authority 
to execute judgment: “And hath given him authority to 
execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” 
John 5: 27. God is to judge the world by Jesus Christ: 
“In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by 
Jesus Christ according to my Gospel.” Rom. 2: 16. 
Paul,in his letters to the Roman and Corinthian churches, 
affirms that we must all appear before the judgment seat 
of Christ: “We shall all stand before the judgment seat 
of Christ.” Rom. 14: 10. “For we must all appear be¬ 
fore the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may re¬ 
ceive the things done in his body, according to that he 
hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10. 
To be a competent and impartial Judge of the world 
Christ must possess the divine attributes of knowledge, wis¬ 
dom and power that he may comprehend every case fully, 
wisely decide, and have power to execute his decisions. 

The great attribute of Omnipotence, unlimited power, 
is ascribed to Christ. He is called “The Mighty God,” 


102 


Christian Doctrines 


Isa. 9: 6. He performed miracles by his own power, acts 
which none but God could do: “And Jesus put forth his 
hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. 
And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ,, Matt. 8:3. 
“When the even was come, they brought unto him many 
that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits 
with his word, and healed all that were sick.” Matt. 8: 
16. It is worthy of special notice that he cast out the evil 
spirits with a word, and that he healed all the sick. 
No pretended worker of miracles has ever been able to 
cure all cases, but their success has been limited as already 
stated, to a few cases susceptible to therapeutic sugges¬ 
tion, or mind cure. Some of the worst diseases which 
afflict mankind are clearly traceable to the mind. Such 
people can be helped, and are sometimes cured by a 
suggestion which will make a hopeful impression on the 
mind. This class of patients become easy dupes of the 
fakirs of Mind Cure, styled variously: Christian Science, 
Spiritualism, the Fakirs of India, etc. Christ’s miracles 
were always clearly genuine and precluded the possibility 
of any other explanation. Christ commanded and the 
elements were subject to his word: “But the men mar¬ 
velled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even 
the winds and the sea obey him?” Matt. 8: 27. He 
raises the dead even as the Father does, “For as the Father 
raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the 
Son quickeneth whom he will.” John 5: 21. “Marvel 
not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in 
the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth.” 28,29. 


Divine Nature oj Christ 103 

Christ raised the dead by a word, and he is finally, by his 
almighty power, to raise all the dead at the last day. By 
his own power he upholds all things in the vast universe, 
directs their movements, and continues their existence. 
Paul says that he is “upholding all things by the word 
of his power.” Heb. 1:3; also that “by him all things 
consist.” Col. 1:17. 

Christ is Omnipresent, present everywhere. He 
meets all assemblies of his people. “Where two or 
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in 
the midst of them,” Matt. 18: 20; and he is with all be¬ 
lievers and will be to “the end of the world.” Matt. 28120. 
He is present everywhere in the universe, for he “filleth all 
in all.” Eph. 1:23. 

Omniscience belongs to Christ; he knows all things. 
He knew the thoughts of his enemies; “And Jesus knowing 
their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your 
hearts?” Matt. 9:4; 12: 25, Mark 2: 8, Luke 6: 8; 9: 47. 
Some mind readers have been able to read the thoughts 
of others to a very limited extent, when they have been 
“En Rapport in that condition or relation of sympathy 
which insures effective influence or communication.” 
Webster. But they can do nothing with an enemy, or 
even in the presence of enemies. Not so with Christ, for 
he read the thoughts of enemies, and performed his 
mighty miracles surrounded by all kinds of skeptics. 
Jesus “knew all men,” and he “knew what was in man.” 
John 2:24, 25. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, thou know- 
est all things; thou knowest that I love thee.” John 


104 


Christian Doctrines 


21:17. I n Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom 
and knowledge.” Col. 2:3. 

The power to forgive sins has always been recognized 
as a divine prerogative. A man may forgive another 
who has injured him, forgive the injury, but he cannot 
forgive the sin, God alone can forgive the sin. The Jews 
said, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” Christ for¬ 
gave sins. He said to the palsied man, “Thy sin be for¬ 
given thee;” and again when his enemies charged him with 
blasphemy for assuming to do what God only can do, he 
said, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath 
power on earth to forgive sins (then saith he to the sick of 
the palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” 
Matt. 9:2, 6. Here Jesus appeals to the miracle as an 
attestation of his divine power and authority to forgive 
sins. Jesus forgave the sins of the woman who poured 
the ointment on his feet, saying, “Her sins, which are 
many, are forgiven.” Luke 7: 47, 48. He is a forgiving 
Saviour: “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to 
be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, 
and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31. The fact that Christ 
assumed authority to forgive sins proves his divinity. 

The pre-existence of Christ proves his eternity. The 
Psalmist says, “O my God, ... Of old hast thou laid 
the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work 
of thy hands,” etc. Psa. 102: 25-27. Paul in Heb. 
1:8-12, quotes these passages from the Psalmist and 
applies them to Christ. “The same was in the beginning 
with God. All things were made by him.” John 1: 2, 3. 


Divine Nature of Christ 


io5 

Christ was in heaven, and a partaker of glory with the 
Father before this world was made: “What and if ye 
shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?” 
John 6: 62; and in the prayer to the Father he said, “And 
now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with 
the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” 
John 17: 5. Christ said that he was the I AM, the self- 
existent Jehovah, before the time of Abraham, “Before 
Abraham was I AM,” John 8:58. Paul wrote in his 
letter to the Col. 1:17: “And he is before all things.” 
Christ having been before all things, he must have been 
uncreated and therefore eternal. This can only be said 
of God. 

Divine worship was rendered to Christ, which he would 
not have permitted had he been less than God. During 
his temptation he said to Satan, “Thou shalt worship the 
Lord, thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Matt. 
4: 10. Of the wise men it is said: “And when they were 
come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary 
his mother, and fell down and worshipped him.” Matt. 
2:10. God, the Father, commanded that worship 
should be paid to his Son by the highest order of created 
beings, “And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten 
into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God 
worship him,” Heb. 1:6. A ruler worshipped him: “There 
came a certain ruler, and worshipped him.” Matt. 9: 18. 
When Jesus walked on the sea in a great storm and saved 
the sinking Peter, he came on the ship and calmed the 
tempest. Then all on board worshipped him, “Then 


io6 


Christian Doctrines 


they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, say¬ 
ing, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” Matt. 14: 33. 
His disciples, who certainly knew his desire regarding 
worship, at the time of his ascension worshipped him: 
“And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem 
with great joy.” Luke 24:52. John, in Rev. 5:8-14, 
says that the hosts of heaven worship Christ: “And the 
four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him 
that liveth forever and ever.” 

The mystery of the relation of Christ to his Father 
cannot be explained, but the Scriptures have thrown 
all necessary light on this subject: He sits at the right 
hand of the Father, which is emblematic of great honor 
and power: “The Lord saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at 
my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” 
Psa. no: 1. Paul in Heb. 1: 13, applies this language 
to Christ. At the time of the persecution of Stephen, 
he looked up into heaven and said “Behold, I see the 
heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the 
right hand of God.” Acts 7: 56. While Christ, the 
King of Kings sits to rule the nations, he rises , when 
his Martyr Stephen is being slain, to give him a wel¬ 
come home. 

“But, when from murderous hands the martyrs break, 
He rises—for their sake; 

He, whom no shock of battled worlds could move, 

In recompensing love, 

Rises, to give when’er his Stephens come, 

Their warmest welcome home.”— Punshon. 


Divine Nature oj Christ 107 

The Father hath given all things into the hands of his 
Son: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all 
things into his hands,” John 3*35; and he hath com¬ 
mitted all judgment to him, “For the Father judgeth no 
man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” 
John 5: 22. Christ came down from heaven, sent by the 
Father. Jesus said, “For I came down from heaven, not 
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 
And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me,” etc. 
John 6: 38, 39. Jesus claimed to be one with the Father: 
“I and my Father are one,” John 10: 30; and in John 
14: 11, he says, “Believe me that I am in the Father and 
the Father in me.” We must pray to the Father in 
Christ’s name: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, 
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 
If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.” John 
14:13, 14. Christ sends the Holy Spirit from the Father 
to his church: “But when the Comforter is come, whom 
I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of 
truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify 
of me.” John 15:26. Jesus said he came into the 
world from the Father, and that he would return to him: 
“I came forth from the Father, and am come into the 
world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.” 
John 16: 28. Peter said of Christ, “Therefore being by 
the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the 
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth 
this, which ye now see and hear.” Acts 2:33. Paul 
says that Christ thought himself the equal of God, “Who, 


io8 


Christian Doctrines 


being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be 
equal with God. ,, Phil. 2: 6; he is also the image of the 
invisible God: “Who is the image of the invisible God.” 
Col. 1:15. Now that Christ has ascended on high, he 
has been set down with the Father in his throne: “I am 
set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev. 3: 21. 

No stronger language could be employed to express 
the supreme divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ than is found in the references already adduced. 
Such language cannot be used regarding any created 
being, but as we view Christ it is entirely suited to him. 
Through him all good must come to us, so our faith em¬ 
braces a confidence in his unbounded resources and 
limitless power. 


CHAPTER VIII 


HUMAN NATURE OF CHRIST 

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God 
sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the 
law.” Gal. 4:4. 

Jesus Christ possessed a twofold nature, mysteriously 
united in one person. In his divine nature he is unlimited 
in all the attributes of the Divine Being, but in his human 
nature he was limited like other men. He had a human 
body, which grew in stature; and a spirit, which increased 
in wisdom: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and 
stature.” Luke 2: 52. He was created in the womb of 
the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit: “The angel of the 
Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, 
thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy 
wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy 
Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt 
call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from 
their sins.” Matt. 1: 20, 21. Like the first Adam he 
came from the hand of God without a taint of sin, and 
free from the infirmities of an inherited fallen nature. 
The first Adam by sin brought on his posterity the tend¬ 
encies or inclinations to evil, termed original sin. Christ, 
the second Adam, did not come into the world by natural 
descent, but pure from the hand of God, his Creator, and 
he ever maintained a perfectly pure human nature, so 
109 


no 


Christian Doctrines 


that his whole life was without fault. Peter said of Jesus 
that he “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” 
i Peter 2: 22. In the person of our Lord Jesus Christ 
human nature has been taken into an eternal union with 
the Divine Nature. 

Christ was a real man, as well as very God, when he 
appeared in this world as the incarnate Son of God. 
It is difficult in discussing this subject to think of him as 
man apart from his Divine Nature, and we should not, 
for the two natures are eternally united in his person. 
But it will help our study and explain the many apparently 
conflicting statements, which we find in his marvelous 
history, if we may attribute the limitations mentioned in 
his life to his human nature. We find him performing 
in his own name the acts of God, works which can only 
be accounted for on the supposition that he is God. At 
another time he acts, thinks and feels like a man; with 
limitations of knowledge, weariness and grief, which can 
only be explained by concluding that he was a man, pos¬ 
sessed of both a human soul and body. 

He was born into the world, cradled as a helpless in¬ 
fant in a manger, had his boyhood, while he grew in 
stature and wisdom, and was subject to his parents. It 
is true that he was a wonderful child, but nevertheless a 
child. Angels herald his coming, Luke 2:8-11, and sing 
over the plains at the time of his birth; wise men from the 
east come to worship him, and at twelve years of age he 
confounds the doctors of the law in the great court of the 
Jews by his wisdom. These facts go to show that at 


Ill 


Human Nature of Christ 


no time of his incarnation was the Divine separate from 
the human nature of Christ. 


He is called the Son of man in no less than seventy-one 
instances; in sixty-seven cases he attributes it to himself, 
once he is so styled by Daniel, once by Stephen, and twice 
by John, in Revelation. His birth, life and death prove 
beyond all question the fact that he was a man. He 
labored, became weary, ate, drank, slept, suffered on the 
cross, and was buried like other men. 


In the study of the marvelous life of Christ, we will 
be greatly aided, if we rightly attribute his acts or sayings 
to his Divine or human nature, as the case may be. To 
assist the student, a few instances are given illustrative 
of the manner in which the acts of his life may be classi¬ 
fied, arranged by Timothy Dwight, LL. D., one of the 
early Presidents of Yale College: 


As God it is said: 

“That he is God, the true 
God, the Mighty God, the 
Great God, Jehovah, I AM, 
and Emmanuel, that is, God 
with us; that his goings 
forth were from of old, from 
everlasting; that he was in 
the beginning set up from 
everlasting, or ever the 
earth was; that he was in the 
beginning with God; rejoic¬ 
ing always before him; pres¬ 
ent when he prepared the 
heavens, and laid the foun- 


As Man it is said: 

“That he was an infant, a 
child, a man, and a carpen¬ 
ter, . . that he was born in 
the reign of Herod the Great, 
and of the Roman Emperor, 
Augustus Caesar, in Beth¬ 
lehem of Judea, the city of 
David, in the stable of an 
Inn, and was cradled in a 
manger. 


112 


Christian Doctrines 


dations of the earth; and 
possessed of glory with him 
before ever the world was. 

“With reference to his 
greatness as God, united to 
man, it is said, that Gabriel 
predicted his birth, an angel 
declared to the shepherds of 
Bethlehem that he was 
born, and a choir of the 
heavenly host sang together 
his natal hymn. 

“That he is the same yes¬ 
terday, to-day and forever. 


“That all things are his; 
that he upholds them by the 
word of his power, and that 
they were made for him and 
by him. 

“That he is the Lord of 
all things, of angels, prin¬ 
cipalities, and powers; and 
will subdue, and is able to 
subdue, all things unto him¬ 
self, and put all opposition 
under his feet; and that his 
throne and dominion are for¬ 
ever and ever. 

“That he was rich in the 


“That he was refused a 
place in the Inn, forgotten in 
the stable, and unfurnished 
even with the ordinary com¬ 
forts provided for the chil¬ 
dren of peasants. 


“That he grew while a 
child, really and perceptibly, 
in wisdom and stature, and 
in favor with God and man; 
and therefore changed day 
by day; and that through 
his life. 

“That he had not where 
to lay his head, and was sus¬ 
tained without property of 
his own, by the bounty of 
his disciples; and at times 
of others. 

“That he was subject to 
the Jewish and Roman Gov¬ 
ernment, paid tribute, and 
performed all the usual 
duties of a child to his par¬ 
ents, and of a subject to his 
ruler; and was exposed to the 
direct assaults and tempta¬ 
tions of the devil. 

“That for our sakes he be» 


Human Nature of Christ 


possession of all things; and 
the continual delight of his 
Father in the heavens, where 
the angels unceasingly wor¬ 
shipped him. 

“That at the close of this 
world, he w T ill come in the 
clouds of heaven with power 
and great glory, and with all 
his holy angels will summon 
the dead from their graves; 
will gather all nations be¬ 
fore the throne of his glory; 
will judge men according to 
their works; will punish the 
wicked with an everlasting 
destruction from the glory 
of his power; will conduct 
the righteous into heaven; 
and will cause them to live, 
and reign, with him for ever 
and ever. 

“In his divine character 
he was in the form of God, 
and thought it no robbery, 
to be equal with God.” 


IX 3 

came poor, afflicted, de¬ 
spised, and rejected of men; 
a man of sorrows, and ac¬ 
quainted with grief; lightly 
esteemed, hated and perse¬ 
cuted. 

“That he was betrayed 
by Judas; seized by the Ro¬ 
man soldiers; brought be¬ 
fore the Sanhedrim; judged, 
condemned to death; buf¬ 
feted; crowned with thorns, 
mocked, spit upon, scourged, 
nailed to the cross, and 
carried to the tomb. 


“But that having emptied 
himself, and taken upon him 
the form of a servant, he 
was born in the likeness of 
men; and being found in 
fashion as a man, he became 
obedient unto death, even 
the death of the cross.” 


These contrasts given of the character and life of Jesus 
can only be explained on the supposition that he is both 
God and man, united in one person, and yet containing 


Christian Doctrines 


114 

two perfect natures : one unlimited in power and the great¬ 
ness of his attributes, and the other limited by finite capa¬ 
bilities. One description is of God, complete in all the 
perfections of his nature; while the other describes a man, 
with the thoughts and limitations of a man. From the 
beginning of the world there has never existed any being 
of whom such .language could be used, except the Christ, 
the Saviour of men. As we understand his nature it is 
perfectly applicable to him. Many things are inexpli¬ 
cable in this mysterious union, but not more so than many 
other things which we are bound to believe, as for instance 
the union of the human soul and body. No man can ex¬ 
plain it. 

Timothy Dwight, LL. D., says, “It is plainly im¬ 
possible, that the same simple being should be set up 
from everlasting, be the Alpha and Omega, the beginning 
and the ending; and yet be born in Judea, in the reign of 
Herod the Great: Be the same yesterday, to-day,and for¬ 
ever; and yet increase in wisdom, and in favor with God 
and man: Create all things visible and invisible; and yet 
be made of a woman: Be the Lawgiver of the Universe; 
and yet be made under the law: Uphold all things by the 
word of his power; and yet be a petitioner for the daily 
supplies of his wants, and the protection of his person: 
Possess all things, and yet have not where to lay his head: 
Know all things (and yet not know the time of the end 
of the world): Be the final Judge and Rewarder of the 
quick and the dead; and yet be tried, condemned, and 
executed by men: and be in the form of God, and justly 


Human Nature of Christ 


ii 5 

think it no robbery to be equal with God; and yet be a 
servant, a man, and a frail and dying man.” He must 
be more than a man and possess two natures. 

These and many other things are said of Christ, by 
himself, by the apostles, and by the Father. They cannot 
be said of any man, nor are they applicable to God alone; 
so they must find their only explanation in Christ Jesus, 
who is both God and man. A few very important par¬ 
ticulars may be mentioned in which be differed from all 
created beings. 

1. He taught in his own name, his usual method being, 
“I say unto you.” Matt. 5:20; by his own authority 
changed the Mosaic system into the Christian; claimed 
that he came to fulfill the law and the prophets: “Think 
not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: 
I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Matt. 5:17; 
and when challenged regarding his observance of the 
Sabbath he said, “The Son of man is Lord even of the 
sabbath.” Mark 2: 28. All his teaching, and all his 
miracles were in his own name. No prophet or apostle 
ever taught or acted in that way: “Thus saith the Lord,” 
“Thus saith Jehovah,” Isa. 1:18; Ex. 5:1, was the 
prophetic method of introducing their instructions, and 
all miracles were performed by the acknowledged power 
of God. The fact that Christ thus taught, assumed such 
authority, attesting it by performing miracles in his own 
name, prove that he is’God, for none but God can do such 
things. 

2. After Christ’s ascension the apostles appealed to 


n6 


Christian Doctrines 


his authority in their preaching and miracles. Peter 
said to the impotent man, “In the name of Jesus Christ 
of Nazareth rise up, and walk.” Acts 3:6. When the 
Jewish rulers said to Peter, “By what power, or by what 
name have ye done this?” Acts 4: 7, referring to the 
healing of the impotent man, the apostle replied, “Be it 
known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that 
by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye 
crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him 
doth this man stand here before you whole.” Acts 4:10. 

3. John, in Revelation, states that Christ, with the 
Father, receives the praise of the heavenly hosts: “After 
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man 
could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, 
and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the 
Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their 
hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to 
our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, 
and about the elders, and the four living creatures, and 
fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 
saying, Amen: Blessing and glory, and wisdom, and 
thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto 
our God for ever and ever. Amen.” Rev. 7:9-12. 

“And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round 
about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; 
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten 
thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a 
great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain 


Human Nature oj Christ 


117 

to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, 
and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every created 
thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under 
the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, 
heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the Throne, and 
unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the 
glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever. And the 
four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell 
down and worshipped.” Rev. 5: 11-14. 

Jesus said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
him only shalt thou serve.” Matt. 4:10. There is no 
reasonable way of accounting for the fact that Christ re¬ 
ceived worship from men while on the earth, and the 
praise and the worship of angels and redeemed spirits in 
heaven, except on the supposition that he is God, equal 
with the Father. 

The human nature of Christ began to be at the incar¬ 
nation, when the Son of God, who had existed from eter¬ 
nity, descended from heaven, and became united to the 
child Jesus. During his stay on earth he dwelt in a body 
of flesh and blood like other men, and now in heaven he 
dwells in the resurrected spiritual body and will forever. 
In his divine nature he is our Creator, infinite in his 
attributes, dwelling in ineffable glory; in his human nature 
he is our Elder Brother, touched with a feeling of our 
infirmities, and sustains a dear and intimate relation 
to us. 



CHAPTER IX 


CHRIST’S LIFE (INDUCTIVE METHOD) 

Already this subject has been treated dogmatically, 
i.e., with opinions already formed, selections have been 
made from the Word of God to prove both the divinity and 
humanity of our Lord. This method has been most in 
favor, because by it these truths ean be more easily fixed 
in the mind. Still I am sure it will please the great body 
of Christian believers to see the subject treated induct¬ 
ively, i.e., by a study of the life of Christ as he must 
have appeared to fair-minded holy men in his day, and 
reach such conclusions, as must have been irresistibly 
impressed on their minds. They saw his works, heard 
his words, and judged who and what he was. This is 
the way we study it in the Gospel history. 

Christ made his appearance at a time when the Jew¬ 
ish people were expecting a remarkable personage, the 
Messiah. Isaiah had said, “For unto us a child is born, 
unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be 
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonder¬ 
ful, Counsellor, The mighty God, Father of the everlasting 
age, and the Prince of Peace. ,, Isa. 9:6. Daniel said, that 
“Messiah the Prince,” would come, giving the date about 
490 years, “Know therefore and understand, that from 
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to 
build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be 
118 


Christ's Lije—Inductive Method 119 

seven weeks and threescore and two weeks: the street 
shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut 
off, but not for himself,” Dan. 9: 25, 26. The time for 
Christ’s coming had arrived, and eager eyes were looking 
for his appearance. Christ did come as the prophet fore¬ 
told, and was finally “cut off,” but not for his own sins; 
he died for others. The last king of Israel was on the 
throne when Christ came, but he, with the whole Jewish 
nation, was in subjection to the Romans. It looked 
very much as though the time was near when they would 
cease to have a king; but wise men among them said that 
Jacob prophesied regarding Judah, “The sceptre shall 
not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his 
feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gather¬ 
ing of the people be.” Gen. 49:10. They reasoned 
that he must be near at hand, for the prophecies regarding 
Christ converged on that period of time. It was believed 
he would “restore again the kingdom of Israel,” deliver 
them from the Roman yoke, an opinion which the dis¬ 
ciples of our Lord did not relinquish until after his as¬ 
cension. So general was the belief that Christ was soon 
to appear, that imposters took advantage of this expecta¬ 
tion and drew away many. 

Herod became troubled over a report brought by the 
wise men that Christ was born; so he called the chief 
priests and scribes to inquire about the matter, and the 
place of his birth. They had no difficulty in giving the 
desired information, saying, “In Bethlehem of Judea; 


120 


Christian Doctrines 


for thus it is written by the prophet.” Matt. 2: 4, 5; and 
they quoted the words of the prophet Micah, “And thou 
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among 
the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Gov¬ 
ernor, that shall rule my people Israel.” Micah 5: 2; 
and Matt. 2: 6. Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem 
with him. A king was born outside of the royal house¬ 
hold. 

Zacharias, a priest, and his wife Elisabeth were the 
parents of John the Baptist. The angel, Gabriel, had 
announced to Zacharias that John should be the fore¬ 
runner of Jesus. The Virgin Mary visited Elisabeth be¬ 
fore the birth of John, when Elisabeth, being filled with 
the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying to Mary, “Blessed 
art thou among women, . . . And whence is this to 
me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” 
After the birth of John, Zacharias prophesied that John 
should “be called the Prophet of the Highest: for thou 
shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his 
ways.” The prophecies were uttered before the birth 
of Jesus. The angel had said to Mary that Jesus “shall 
be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and 
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for 
ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” From 
these facts, probably well known in a large circle in 
Jerusalem, with the reports afloat which had grown out 
of these prophecies that the Messiah was about to appear, 
there must have been for some time apprehension in the 


Christ’s Lije—Inductive Method 121 

mind of Herod that his throne was in danger. Then 
when the wise men came from the east and told Herod 
that Jesus was bom, and that they had come to see him, 
guided by a star, his mind, which had been preparing, 
was ready for immediate action. He decided to destroy 
Jesus. An angel warned Joseph and he was taken into 
Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. In his 
effort to kill Jesus the old tyrant sent forth and slew all 
the children in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, 
from two years old and under. 

Certainly it must have appeared to good men that 
this was a very remarkable child; to be heralded by 
prophets hundreds of years before his birth; to be con¬ 
ceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a Virgin; angels 
sang his praise over the plains; wise men, guided by a 
star, came and worshipped him; and an angel hastened 
to warn Joseph to flee into Egypt to escape the wrath of 
Herod. He was called Emmanuel (God with us), the 
Son of the Highest, was given the throne of David, and 
of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

After the death of Herod, Joseph and Mary return with 
Jesus and dwelt in Nazareth. “The child grew, and 
waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace 
of God was upon him.” At twelve years of age he went 
with his parents to Jerusalem. Jesus disappeared from 
the company, and when found by his parents was in the 
temple, in the midst of the learned doctors of the law of 
the Jewish nation, “both hearing them, and asking them 
questions. And all that heard him were astonished at 


122 


Christian Doctrines 


his understanding and answers.” No other boy has ever 
lived who could have filled such a place. He returned 
with his parents to Nazareth, was subject to them, while 
he “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with 
God and man.” 

When Jesus was about thirty years of age, he appeared 
in public life to begin his ministry. A remarkable per¬ 
son, John the Baptist, had been preaching in the wilder¬ 
ness of Judea, baptizing the multitudes who came to 
hear him, exhorting them to repent, and “prepare the 
way of the Lord.” Isaiah had said that he would pre¬ 
cede the Messiah: “The voice of him that crieth in the 
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight 
in the desert a highway for our God.” Isa. 40:3. It 
had been prophesied that Elijah would precede the coming 
of Christ. Mai. 4:5. With these prophecies in the 
minds of the people, it is not strange that the priests and 
Levites should ask John if he were the Christ or Elias. 
Afterward when Jesus and three of his disciples came 
down from the mountain of transfiguration they asked 
Jesus, “Why then say the scribes that Elias must first 
come? . . . Jesus . . . said, Elias truly shall first 
come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That 
Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have 
done unto him whatsoever they listed. . . . Then the 
disciples understood that he spake unto them of John 
the Baptist.” All this goes to show how correct was the 
understanding which the Jews had of the prophecies 
relating to Christ, and his forerunner, John the Baptist. 


Christ’s Life—Inductive Method 123 

In tlie main they were right in their explanation of them. 
It was not for a want of a knowledge of these prophecies, 
or of the most convincing proofs, as seen in the words, 
works and miracles of Jesus that led the rulers finally to 
reject him. Because of the wicked and vile character 
of the Jewish rulers, both John and Jesus were unspar¬ 
ing in their reproofs and condemnation of their hypoc- 
ricy and ostentation. The great mistake of the Jews 
was in resenting these just censures, and allowing them¬ 
selves through anger and hatred to reject all proofs, how¬ 
ever convincing, in support of the claims of Jesus. But 
such has been fallen human nature in all periods of the 
world’s history. 

Good and fair-minded men were watching these re¬ 
markable events. John had a large following, for the 
people believed him to be a prophet. Jesus came to him 
for baptism, but it must have greatly surprised the multi¬ 
tude when “John forbade him, saying, I have need to 
be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” Jesus 
said, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to 
fulfill all righteousness.” Then he was baptized. The 
Spirit of God descended upon him, and a voice from 
heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased.” John had already announced that a 
greater than himself was to come, “But one mightier than 
I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to 
unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and 
with fire.” Expectation was very high. John’s minis¬ 
try had stirred the whole Jewish nation, and now at the 


124 


Christian Doctrines 


zenith of power and influence he proclaims that Jesus is 
his superior. 

After his baptism Jesus goes into the wilderness, where 
he fasted forty days preparatory to his great work, after 
which he was hungry. This was Satan’s opportunity, so 
he assails him with temptations, but Jesus triumphs, and 
angels minister to him. Soon after this Jesus was pass¬ 
ing by where John was baptizing, when he bore testi¬ 
mony to the mission of Jesus, saying, “Behold the Lamb 
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” By 
this time the fame of Jesus was spreading, not only in 
Judea, but as he goes into Galilee the multitudes gather 
about him. 

His first public miracle was suggested by his mother, 
who must have understood that he was able to do it. 
Her motive was to secure wine for the marriage feast. 
Jesus reproves her, saying, “Woman, what have I to do 
with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.” Miraculous 
power was never used by the Saviour for convenience or 
display, and even his mother needed this lesson. Had he 
been only a human being, such words might have seemed 
harsh; but to her who knew him as announced to be the 
Son of God, the King of Israel, it was all right. Her 
ambition needed the check, and the church needs it now. 

No other young man could have entered the temple as 
he did and drive out the traders, money-changers, the 
oxen and the sheep, overturn their tables, and with more 
than human authority say to them, “Take these things 
hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchan- 


Christ's Life—Inductive Method 125 

dise.” They were helpless to resist him. Christ is doing 
supernatural acts by his own power and authority. Here¬ 
tofore all miracles and prophecies had been attributed 
to the power, authority and foreknowledge of God. 
Moses was ordered to send the plagues on Egypt in his 
name. “The Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given 
unto thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the 
mighty men of valor.” Josh. 6: 1-27. When Elijah 
said to the widow of Zarephath that “The barrel of meal 
shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until 
the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth,” he 
was careful to say, “ Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. ,, 
When the Lord said to Elijah, “Go shew thyself unto 
Ahab,” he also added, “and I will send rain on the earth.” 
At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice 
Elijah prayed, and God answered by fire; again the 
prophet bowed before the Lord on the top of Mt. Carmel 
and the rain came. So all the Old Testament miracles 
are ascribed to the power of God. He has said, “I am 
the Lord; that is my name: and my glory will I not give 
to another.” All miracles have been performed by the 
power of God. The Jew so understood it, and so has 
the Christian church. 

Christ did what no prophet had ever presumed to do, 
performed miracles in his own name, prophesied in his 
own name, and moved steadily forward as though he were 
the Almighty God. His disciples soon felt unbounded 
confidence in his knowledge and power. They said to 
him, “Now we are sure that thou knowest all things.” 


126 


Christian Doctrines 


John 16:30. Peter said, “Thou knowest all things.” 
John 21:17. A leper fell at the feet of Jesus, saying, 
“Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Jesus 
said, “I will; be thou clean.” Matt. 8:2, 3. When a 
centurion came to him and said, “Lord, I am not worthy 
that thou shouldst come under my roof; but only say the 
word, and my servant shall be healed,” Jesus approved 
of his course, commended his faith, and healed his serv¬ 
ant, Matt. 8:8-10. In the storm he said to the sea, 
“Peace, be still: and there was a great calm.” Matt. 
8: 26. We may judge of the impression upon the public 
mind when we consider that there are no exceptions; 
but he assumes the high prerogative of God in doing all 
his miracles; so numerous, that it was said he healed all 
their sick, as they were brought to him from all the 
regions through which he passed. Nor is there to him 
such a thing as incurable disease, and death flees at his 
approach. 

His disciples performed miracles, but always in the 
name of Jesus. The seventy who had been sent out by 
the Saviour returned saying, “Lord even the devils are 
subject unto us through thy name.” Luke 10: 17. When 
Peter healed the lame man he said, “In the name of Jesus 
Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Acts. 3: 6. The 
priests, captain of the temple, and Sadducees were offended 
because the apostles preached and performed miracles in 
the name of Jesus, so they had them arrested. On the 
next day the rulers, elders, scribes, Annas the high priest, 
and all his kindred were in Jerusalem when the accused 


Christ's Life—Inductive Method 


127 


disciples were brought before them. They were asked, 
“By what power, or by what name have ye done this?” 
Peter replied, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the 
people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of 
Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from 
the dead, even by him doth this man stand before you 
whole.” Acts. 4: 5-10. Peter said to ^Eneas, who had 
been sick of the palsy for eight years, “Jesus Christ 
maketh thee whole.” Acts 9: 34. Paul said to an evil 
spirit, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to 
come out of her.” 

As we study the import of Jesus’ words, the conclusion 
is irresistible that he was more than a man. Not only 
the disciples so understood them, but the people, and even 
his enemies knew that he claimed equality with God. He 
performed his miracles like one possessed of personal 
Almighty power and claimed for himself the authority 
and attributes of God. He forgave sins. To the palsied 
man he said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” Matt. 9*2; 
and to a woman he said, “Thy sins are forgiven thee.” 
Luke 7:48. Control of all things is in his hand, “The 
Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into 
his hand.” John 3:35. Christ is the Supreme Judge 
over all, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath com¬ 
mitted all judgment unto the Son.” John 5:22; and 
Christ claimed equal honor with the Father, “That all 
men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.” 
John 5: 23. When Jesus said, “I and my Father are one,” 
John 10: 30, the Jews understood that he claimed equal- 


128 


Christian Doctrines 


ity with God. He existed before the world was created 
as he said in his prayer, “And now, O Father, glorify 
thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had 
with thee before the world was.” John 17:5. He is 
the way to God: “I am the way, the truth, and the Life: 
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 
14: 6. These are remarkable words, more than can be 
claimed by any man. 

Divine worship was paid to Christ. During his temp¬ 
tation he said to Satan, “For it is written, Thou shalt wor¬ 
ship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” 
Matt. 4: 10. From these words it is certain that worship 
is due only to God, and all other worship is forbidden. 
He must then have received worship as God. The wise 
men “fell down, and worshipped him,” Matt. 2:11, while 
cradled in a manger. The ruler “worshipped him.” 
Matt. 9:18. Those “in the ship came and worshipped 
him.” Matt. 14:33. At the time of his ascension the 
disciples “worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem 
with great joy.” Luke 24: 52. 

Not less remarkable are his claims to resurrection 
power. Regarding his own life he said, “No man taketh 
it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power 
to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.” 
John 10: 18. On the cross he gave up his spirit, and 
he rose from the dead. Jesus said to Martha, “I am the 
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though 
he were dead, yet shall he live.” John 11: 25. From 
the confession which Martha made on that occasion, we 


Christ's Lije—Inductive Method 129 

have reason to believe that she expressed the view gen¬ 
erally held by the disciples; she said, “Yea, Lord; I be¬ 
lieve that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which 
should come into the world.” John 11:27. All the 
dead are to hear the voice of the Son of God, and come 
from their graves. Jesus said, “The hour is coming, 
and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son 
of God: and they that hear shall live. Marvel not at 
this: for the hour is coming in the which all that are in 
the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; 
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; 
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of 
damnation.” John 5:25, 28, 29. This claim can be 
made by God only. 

On many occasions he speaks as only God can. To 
the woman at the well he said, “If thou knowest the gift 
of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, 
thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given 
thee living water. . . . Whosoever drinketh of this 
water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the 
water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the 
water I shall give him shall be in him a well of water 
springing up into everlasting life.” John 4: 10-14* 
Christ gives the water of life. Belief in the Son of God 
is made the ground of assurance of salvation and ever¬ 
lasting life: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that 
every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may 
have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last 
day” John 6:40. Christ gives eternal life to his 


130 


Christian Doctrines 


followers, and there is no power able to take them from 
him: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and 
they follow me; and I will give unto them eternal life; 
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck 
them out of my hand.” John io: 27, 28. By coming 
to him the weary are relieved of the burden of sorrow, 
and they find rest in him, whose requirements are easy: 
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest; . . . For my yoke is easy, and 
my burden is light.” Matt. 11:28-30. He ascended 
into heaven, has prepared homes for his loved ones, and 
will return again to receive them to himself: “In my 
Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I 
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, 
and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye 
may be also.” John 14:1-3. 

This is not the language of a mortal man. Christ must 
be God, for no prophet, apostle or archangel has ever 
presumed to use such utterances. As the disciples saw 
Jesus, his mighty deeds, and heard him speak “as never 
man spake;” and as we see and study the life of this re¬ 
markable person, it is clear that it becomes Jesus. He, 
who healed all the sick that men brought to him, raised 
the dead, stilled the tempest, came from heaven, and 
ascended thither, could say what he did and it agreed 
with his works. 

It must be borne in mind that Christ preached, taught 
and worked as no other man ever has or can. The truth 


Christ's Life—Inductive Method 131 

was made transparent, was stripped of all perversions, 
and fell on the soul as the voice of God. In his mighty 
grasp he saw and proclaimed the greatest truths of the 
ages, which no simple man ever could have thought out: 
the Fatherhood of God, as illustrated in the case of the 
prodigal son; the brotherhood of man, in presenting the 
Gospel to the poor and neglected ones; and teaching, 
“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;” that self- 
abnegation and sacrifice are the conditions of his favor, 
and of honor and recognition among men; and that 
earthly possessions are fleeting while treasures laid up 
in heaven endure. These thoughts, so different from the 
current opinions of his day, and entertained now by only 
a few of his most devout followers, were not the concep¬ 
tions of a human teacher. The people who heard him 
were able to see the contrast between his words and those 
of other men; “The people were astonished at his doc¬ 
trine ; for he taught them as one having authority, and not 
as the scribes.” When officers were sent to take Jesus, 
they returned saying, “Never man spake like this man.” 

Around the closing scenes in the life of Jesus some of 
the most wonderful events cluster. He had said, “No 
man taketh my life from me. I have power to lay it 
down, and I have power to take it again.” He was 
apprehended and crucified, yet only by his own permission; 
for when a band of men and officers came to take him, 
they were helpless in his presence; “They went backward 
and fell to the ground.” On the cross “Jesus . . . yielded 
up the spirit,” all of which shows that he gave up his 


1 3 2 


Christian Doctrines 


own life. For a period of three hours during the cruci¬ 
fixion, there was darkness over the land, “And the earth 
did quake, and the rocks rent.” On the morning of the 
third day an angel descended from heaven, there was a 
great earthquake, “His countenance was like lightning, 
and his raiment white as snow.” He broke the seal of 
the sepulcher, rolled back the stone from the door, and 
sat upon it. The centurion and his guard fell as dead 
men, while Jesus rose from the dead by his own power. 
Thus he laid down his life and took it up again. After 
his resurrection he appeared to the women who came 
with spices to the sepulcher; they told it to the disciples, 
on many occasions he came among them, and at one 
time he met five hundred brethren at once. For forty 
days he was among them, when he led them out as far 
as Bethany, lifted up his hands and blessed them, and 
then, ascending, he passed unto the heavens, whence 
he promised to come again. As the disciples v^ere look¬ 
ing steadfastly toward heaven, two angels stood by them 
and said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up 
into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from 
you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have 
seen him go into heaven.” Acts i: n. Jesus could have 
ascended to heaven without dying, but that would not 
have accomplished his mission. He came to be the 
Saviour of the world by atoning for its sins through his 
sufferings and death: “The Father sent the Son to be 
the Saviour of the world.” i John 4: 14. Jesus prayed, 
“Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came 


Christ's Life—Inductive Method 133 

I unto this hour. . . . And I, if I be lifted up from the 
earth, will draw all men unto me (This he said, signifying 
what death he should die).” John 12: 27, 32, 33. The 
Christ stands pre-eminently the central figure of history, 
distinguished from men by the supernatural in his words 
and works. 

Thus far we have studied the supernatural in the life 
of Jesus. Let us now look at his human nature and 
study him as a man. He was born, came into the word 
as an infant, possessed a human body and soul, and felt 
the same wants that others do. He hungered, was 
thirsty, was weary, slept and died. “Jesus increased in 
wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” 
Luke 2: 52. In his human capacity he was limited in 
knowledge: “Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, 
no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, 
but the Father.” Mark 13: 32. So as man he did not 
know the time of the end of the world. In the 
garden his prayer was a submission to the will of 
the Father; “If it be possible, let this cup pass from 
me; nevertheless not as I will, But as thou wilt.” 
Matt. 26: 39. 

The need of prayer is a want of a dependent being. 
Jesus needed prayer. He said to his disciples, “Sit ye 
here, while I go and pray yonder.” Matt. 26: 36. “He 
went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all 
night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12. “In the morn¬ 
ing, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and 
departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Mark 


134 


Christian Doctrines 


1:35. As man he felt the same needs that we do and 
came to God as we must. 

When we find language in the Bible which shows 
limitation in the life of Jesus, we must confine its appli¬ 
cation to his human nature. In that capacity he was 
limited and dependent. “The Son can do nothing of 
himself but what he seeth the Father do.” John 5:19. 
“I can of mine own self do nothing.” John 5: 30. “My 
Father is greater than I.” John 14: 28. 

He was subjected to temptation and experienced some 
of the most subtle that Satan could devise. After his 
fast of forty days he was hungry, when Satan assailed him, 
first, appealing to his appetite, then presumption, and last 
of all his ambition, three of the greatest dangers in the 
life of a young man, Matt. 4:1-11. “We have not a high 
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our in¬ 
firmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, 
yet without sin.” Heb. 4: 15. 

“He knows what sore temptations mean, 

For he has felt the same.” 

In thus studying the life and character of Jesus, we 
must try to see him as he appeared to thoughtful and de¬ 
vout hearts while among men. They saw him as one of 
their number, a man, living as they lived, and having like 
experiences, sympathies and wants. Again he is speaking 
and acting as only God can do. No man or angel has ever 
been able to do such Godlike acts as Christ performed. 
They saw this, and by degrees the great truth of the in- 


Christ's Life—Inductive Method 135 

carnation broke on their minds. He could not be viewed 
as a man simply; for the supernatural in his life, and his 
acceptance of divine honors stood in the way. If, on the 
other hand, a survey is taken only of his divine acts, we 
are confronted with many utterances and facts which 
apply only to a human being. 

The only rational account which can be given is the one 
which finally became clear to his followers, and has been 
ever since accepted by the church: that Christ was the 
eternal Son of God, by whom the Father made the worlds, 
infinite in all the attributes of the Divine Nature; that 
he became incarnate, and was thus united to a human be¬ 
ing having all the limitations of a man. This is the way 
that Christ appears, and has always been viewed by those 
who have sought to know him just as he is; who, without 
prejudice or preconceived opinions, have tried to read 
and interpret the Christ of the Gospels as he appears 
from the record. He therefore possessed a twofold 
nature: was very God, and a perfect man soul and body, 
mysteriously united in the person of Jesus Christ. By 
this union our human nature is taken into eternal fellow¬ 
ship with God, through Christ our Elder Brother. 


CHAPTER X 


THE HOLY SPIRIT 

By the Holy Spirit is meant the third person in the 
Trinity, equal in substance, eternity, and all the attributes 
of the Father and the Son of God. That the Holy Spirit 
is divine, is generally accepted by the church, but the 
chief controversy has been regarding his personality. 
Certainly no language could be more explicit to designate 
personality than is employed by the sacred writers, as 
will appear in the examination of this subject: 

He is distinctly set forth as a person: “Peter said, 
Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the 
Holy Spirit? . . . thou hast not lied unto men, but 
unto God.” Acts 5: 3,4. It is impossible to lie, except 
to an intelligent person. In this case the Holy Spirit is 
called God. “The Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barna¬ 
bas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” 
Acts 13:2. “Holy men of God spake as they were 
moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21. “This Scrip¬ 
ture must needs be fulfilled, which the Spirit spake be¬ 
fore by the mouth of David.” Acts 1:16. Here the 
Holy Spirit called Saul and Barnabas, inspired holy men 
to write revelation, and enabled David to prophesy, all 
the acts of a personal being. So intimately is the Holy 
Spirit concerned in our call to the Christian life, the 
deepening of our religious experience, and our sanctifi- 
136 


The Holy Spirit 


i 37 


cation, that our Saviour tells us, “All manner of sin and 
blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy 
against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men.” 
Matt. 12:31. It is the resisting all its divine calls until 
it ceases to call. There is no other way to come to God. 
Then heaven is forever closed against that soul. The 
antediluvians, during the preaching of Noah, committed 
this sin by resisting the Spirit’s call until God said, “My 
Spirit shall not always strive with man.” Gen. 6:3. 
Then vengeance began, and the flood swept from the 
earth these blasphemers. The Jews committed this sin 
by resisting the Spirit, against their own convictions, and 
attributing the miracles of Jesus to the Devil. Their 
history afterwards, especially of the Jewish rulers as a 
class, proved how hopelessly closed all the avenues of 
salvation were to them. Stephen said to the Jewish 
rulers and others, “Ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: 
as your fathers did, so do ye.” Acts 7: 51. Against the 
danger sinners are warned. Paul said, “Quench not the 
Spirit.” 1 Thess. 5:19. A man may blaspheme the 
name of the Father, and of Christ and find forgiveness; 
but he cannot turn away from the calls of the Holy Spirit, 
and persist in so doing, until it is entirely withdrawn, with¬ 
out closing forever against him the hope of pardon. 
Christians must be careful how they “Grieve ... the 
Holy Spirit of God, whereby we are sealed unto the day 
of redemption.” Eph. 4:30. In the commission, and 
baptismal covenant the Holy Spirit is named with the 
Father and the Son: “Go ye therefore, and teach all 


138 


Christian Doctrines 


nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Matt. 28: 19. In 
the apostolic benediction the Holy Spirit is thus associ¬ 
ated also: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
Love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be 
with you all.” 2 Cor. 13: 14. The Holy Spirit is thus 
set forth in all that pertains to our salvation, blasphemy 
against him does not admit of pardon, his name stands 
equally associated with the Father and the Son in the 
commission and baptismal covenant, and also in the 
apostolic benediction, facts which can only be affirmed 
of a person. 

The great attributes of God are attributed to the Holy 
Spirit: 

Eternity—“Christ, who through the eternal Spirit once 
offered himself to God.” Heb. 9: 14. 

Omnipresence—“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? 
Whither shall I flee from thy presence ? Psa. 139:7. 
“Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,” that is of 
all believers. 1 Cor. 6: 9. 

Omniscience.—“The Spirit searcheth all things, even 
the deep things of God.” 1 Cor. 2:10. “Even so the 
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of 
God.” 11. 

Omnipotence.—His works show his almighty power. 
In creation, “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of 
the waters.” Gen. 1: 2. “By his Spirit he hath garnished 
the heavens.” Job 26:13. “The Spirit of God hath 
made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me 


The Holy Spirit 


139 


life.” Job 33:4. “Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they 
are created.” Psa. 104:30. So the Holy Spirit was 
active in the work of creation. 

The acts ascribed to the Holy Spirit require the power 
of God; so it concerns us to know much regarding that 
divine Presence, which goes with us in every step of 
progress which we make towards God. 

He calls .—Sinners are called by the Holy Spirit, some¬ 
times repeatedly, to become Christians. Some accept 
and are saved, while others persist in refusing the calls 
of God, until they become hardened in sin, and finally 
are left to themselves. Note the first part of this chapter 
concerning blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. From 
the utter indifference shown by some who have grown 
old in sin; yet in former years were sensitive to the 
Spirit’s impression, we have reason to fear that many of 
them have passed the limits of offered mercy in salvation. 
Let no sinner who may read this worry, thinking his 
case is hopeless; for if he is troubled, it is evident that 
the Spirit is still striving with him though another re¬ 
fusal of his call may be the last. No, those who have 
sinned away the day of grace, have lost all concern for 
their souls, and they will never again feel the Spirit’s 
call, or have anxious thoughts regarding salvation until 
the day of final doom. Revelation beautifully closes with 
this invitation, “And the Spirit and the bride (the church), 
say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And 
let him that is athirst, Come. And whosoever will, let 
him take the water of life freely,” Rev. 22:17. In 


140 


Christian Doctrines 


describing the call of the Spirit as made to the world, 
Peter quotes and applies the words of the prophet Joel, 
“It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will 
pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh,” etc. Joel 2: 28, 29; 
Acts 2: 16-18. Jesus said of the Spirit, “And when he is 
come he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteous¬ 
ness, and of judgment,” John 16:8. He will convince 
men that they are sinners and need salvation; and invite 
them to come to God. The Holy Spirit was given to the 
ancient church to a limited extent, but the New Testa¬ 
ment Church has received it in larger measure, thus 
marking the beginning of an era of surpassing progress 
and enlightenment. 

Regeneration by the Spirit. By regeneration we mean 
the change wrought in the soul of a sinner by the Holy 
Spirit when he becomes a Christian. So great is this 
change that he turns from all his sinful pleasures and 
inclinations, and with delight begins a life of Christian 
love, joy and service. He is a new man, a new creation, 
his change is a new birth. John says, “Except a man be 
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter unto the 
kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; 
and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” John 
3:5, 6. Baptism with water is a type of baptism by 
the Holy Spirit in spiritual regeneration. One is the 
type, and the other the antitype. As we enter the visible 
church of Christ by baptism with water, so we enter 
the invisible church of Christ through regeneration by 
the Holy Spirit, spiritual baptism. “For the law of the 


The Holy Spirit 


141 

Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the 
law of sin and death.” Rom. 8:2. When the Holy 
Spirit changes a man his chains fall off and he is free. 
“But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are 
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit 
of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:11. 

Witness of the Spirit. It is impossible to state the 
doctrine of the witness of the Spirit in plainer or better 
language than that used by the apostle Paul in his letter 
to the Romans. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with 
our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Rom. 
8:16. The Holy Spirit makes us to know that we are 
now children of God; that is, we are made conscious of 
the fact by the conviction produced directly on the soul 
by the Spirit of God, which is the highest possible cer¬ 
tainty. Jesus promised the Comforter to the disciples 
saying, “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I 
go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but 
if I depart, I will send him unto you.” John 16: 7. 
This Comforter is called the Holy Spirit in John 14:26, 
“The Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit.” This Spirit 
is a conscious, abiding presence. On the day of Pente¬ 
cost it was given in large measure, as had been predicted 
by the Saviour: “Ye shall have power, after that the Holy 
Spirit is come upon you.” Acts 1:8. This prediction 
was also made by the prophet Joel. Peter thus quotes, 
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, 
I will pour out of my Spirit upou all flesh. . . . And 
on my servants and on my hand-maidens I will pour out 


142 


Christian Doctrines 


in those days of my Spirit.” Acts 2: 17, 18. John the 
Baptist had prophesied of Christ, “He shall baptize you 
with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.” Matt. 3:11. This 
was the beginning of the special outpouring, of the Holy 
Spirit in large measure, which was to be a distinguishing 
feature of the Christian church. 

This divine Spirit was given to the ancient church but 
not to so large an extent. The Psalmist prayed, “Take 
not thy Holy Spirit from me.” Psa. 51: n. God said 
to Moses, “I have filled him (Bezaleel) with the Spirit 
of God.” Ex. 31:1-3. In the prayer of the Levites 
they said, “Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to intrust 
them.” Neh. 9: 20. God said to Israel, “And I will 
put my Spirit within you.” Ezek. 36: 27. Thus the 
Holy Spirit was with godly men in the ancient church 
from its beginning, as well as the Christian church. The 
difference is one of degree, but that difference is so great 
that the old dispensations are made to appear dim and 
shadowy in comparison with the splendors of day in the 
Christian dispensation. Other instances are here given, 
illustrating the special endowment of the Christian 
church: “The disciples were filled with joy, and with the 
Holy Spirit.” Acts 13: 52. “He was a good man, and 
full of the Holy Spirit.” Acts n: 24. “For the king¬ 
dom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, 
and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Rom. 14: 17. 
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in 
believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power 
of the Holy Spirit.” Rom. 15:13. “Then had the 


The Holy Spirit 


M 3 


churches rest, . . . and walking in the fear of the Lord, 
and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were multiplied.” 
Acts 9:31. “The love of God is shed abroad in our 
hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.” Rom. 
5:5. “Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the 
Spirit which he hath given us.” 1 John 3: 24. There is 
the most conclusive evidence in the Scriptures for a be¬ 
lief that the Holy Spirit assures Christians of their accept¬ 
ance with God. In these passages, it is said the disciples 
were filled with the Holy Spirit; that in the Church there 
is joy in the Holy Spirit; that joy, peace and hope are 
through the power of the Holy Spirit; that the churches 
had the comfort of the Holy Spirit; that the love of God is 
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us; 
and that we know Christ abideth in us by the Spirit 
which he hath given us. 

The Holy Spirit inspired godly men to write the Holy 
Scriptures. See this subject treated at length in the 
chapter on the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. 

In various other ways the Holy Spirit is engaged in 
guiding, helping, defending and building up Christians, 
so that he is an ever present agency in all the walks of 
this earthly pilgrimage, and finally in the resurrection he 
will raise our mortal bodies. 

He gives power .—“Ye shall receive power, after the 
Holy Spirit is come upon you.” Acts 1: 8. “The Spirit 
also helpeth our infirmities.” Rom. 8: 26. 

He defends .—When the disciples were arrested and had 
no time to prepare a defence, the Holy Spirit came to the 


144 


Christian Doctrines 


rescue. Jesus said, “For the Holy Spirit shall teach you 
in the same hour what ye ought to say.” Luke 12: 12. 

He builds up .—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, 
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek¬ 
ness, temperance. . . . If we live in the Spirit, let us 
also walk in the Spirit.” Gal. 5: 22-25. 

He will raise the dead .—“But if the Spirit of him that 
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that 
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your 
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Rom. 
8: 11. That this Holy Spirit is with Christians as an 
infinite presence, to regenerate, instruct, sanctify and 
finally glorify, that he may present them to the Father, 
“not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing,” is the 
hope of the Christian church, and its mighty inspiration. 


CHAPTER XI 


MAN—HIS NATURE 

In this connection, we must chiefly consider man as 
a religious being. Having derived his existence and sus¬ 
tenance from God, it is reasonable to suppose that he 
owes a duty to him. To know God and to be made to 
feel that he is under obligations to him, he must be a 
rational being, capable of knowing the force of moral 
obligation. As a person, a moral being, he must possess 
intellect, sensibility and free will, attributes of person¬ 
ality. By the intellect he perceives, knows, and exercises 
reason, judgment, memory and imagination. Man is 
distinguishable from the lower animals by his reason, by 
the appeal of must and ought. The brute has a kind of 
intelligence, or spiritual nature, but it does not reason; 
has no sense of what is meant by ought, or ought not, so 
it is incapable of being a moral or religious being. 

Man has a physical body, composed of material sub¬ 
stances in organic form, which is a tabernacle of the 
soul or spiritual nature. The body becomes animate 
by the presence of the spirit, and at its departure the life 
of the body ceases. Indeed, the spirit is the real man; 
the body is the casket and the spirit is the gem. 

Our reason enables us to logically view the facts pre- 
sentd to the mind, and decide what is right and what is 
wrong, what is true and what is false. If the facts pre- 
i45 


146 


Christian Doctrines 


sented to the mind are true in themselves, and are viewed 
in the right light, then the reason is capable of deducing 
conclusions from them with a fair degree of certainty; 
but we should bear in mind that all reasoning is attended 
with increasing uncertainty as we advance from the first 
premises. This is because of the limitations of the finite 
mind. The greatest certainty is in regard to what God 
says, and the province of reason in religious matters is 
to receive the facts presented by him, and reason from 
them. In his word we find the task executed to our 
hands, so we are relieved of that uncertainty which must 
always attend the investigations of a man. The facts of 
religion, the life of a Christian, the results of that life and 
his destiny are there revealed; so that in regard to re¬ 
ligious duty and its issue we have the highest certainty. 
Our study then of the religious truth is not so much to 
reason from first premises with a view of ascertaining 
the truth, as it is to discover from his revealed Word the 
wonderful certainty and unerring wisdom of him who has 
connected every premise to its sequence, every act and 
its consequences. 

The man has a sentient nature or sensibility. By this 
means we can in a natural sense determine good and evil 
by the pleasure or pain produced. It is a wise provision 
of the Creator that both in the natural and spiritual 
world good should be attended with pleasure and evil 
with pain. In view of what our reason decides to be 
right or wrong, from our sense of pleasure or pain, we 
feel the obligation to accept the right and reject the 


Man—His Nature 


i 47 


wrong. Desires, appetites, affections and emotions pro¬ 
ceed from our sensibility. All in their proper exercise are 
good; perverted, they become the source of evil. In the 
highest sense our desires should be regulated by an en¬ 
lightened reason; for by it we are able in the light of divine 
truth and Christian experience to forego present pleasure, 
in some cases, for future good, in which event our sen¬ 
sibility must be made to apprehend that this is the better 
course. 

In the presence of apparently desirable objects there 
will arise in the heart a wish for their possession, and the 
emotions which they produce will come to the mind. 
There is no harm in the desires and emotions, but if our 
reason teaches us that it is wrong for us to possess the 
objects, we sin by yielding to our wishes, or long indulging 
such thoughts, for it is in our power to dismiss a wrong 
desire from the mind. Sensibility becomes both the 
means of good and the cause of temptation. Herein man 
is brought to exercise his free will, by which he chooses 
between good and evil. The faculties of thinking and 
feeling have been presented. Let us now consider the 
Will 

The Will —We are conscious of a power to choose one 
or the other of two courses presented to the mind. Al¬ 
ways there are at least two courses claiming our attention, 
on the one hand with their attractions, and their ob¬ 
jections on the other, and we are conscious of the choice 
we make between them. When the choice is made we 
are equally conscious of the fact that it was free; that is, 


148 


Christian Doctrines 


we could have chosen a different course. This power 
of the mind to choose one of two courses is called the Will, 
and the liberty exercised in making the choice is called 
freedom. Freedom of the Will. To the request for 
proof of freedom of the will, I answer, it is a fact of our 
consciousness, and that is an end to the argument. There 
can be no other argument. It is useless to contend with 
this fact of the universal conciousness of mankind. All 
men are certain in their own minds that they choose which 
course they will pursue. 

There is danger of making a mistake in regard to the 
force of motive. Motive can influence the mind, the 
judgment, or the feelings; but the man alone can force 
the will to act, can make the choice. If motive controlled 
the will, then there could be no freedom of the will; for 
in the presence of a certain motive the mind would always 
of necessity choose the one course. Two classes of mo¬ 
tives appeal to the mind: one through the understanding 
or intelligence, and the other through the feelings. For 
instance, a certain course may commend itself to our in¬ 
telligence as right and proper, and therefore obligatory, 
while at the same time it may appear to our feelings as 
disagreeable and undesirable. Here the man is called 
upon to decide between what appeares to his mind to be 
right, and the inclination of his feelings. It is well known 
that good men often choose what commends itself to 
them as right; and disregard their feelings, which rebel 
against the choice. On the other hand, bad men often 
choose what appeals to their feelings and animal desires, 


Man—His Nature 


149 


against the conviction of their judgment, which tells them 
it is morally wrong. In moral actions all motives may 
be reduced to two classes, and all characters are formed 
under the influence of one or the other, reason or impulse. 
Probably they are both always present when we are called 
upon to make a choice. To make it more plain this illus¬ 
tration is given: It is thought best to build a school house 
in a certain locality instead of a saloon. All good men 
in the community think it right and proper to build the 
school house, and they also greatly desire it. Here the mo¬ 
tives agree, both the intelligence and the desires. In the 
same community is a very wicked and violent man who is 
equally convinced in his judgment that the school house 
should be built, but of the two he would rather have the 
saloon. The law of the state not permitting a school 
building and a saloon to be located in the same district, 
the bad man is opposed to the school house. Here the 
two motives are opposed to each other, and the evil man 
yields to his bad impulse rather than his judgment. 

On this distinction character is based. The wills of 
good men are more readily influenced by the judgment, 
and are superior to the cravings of evil desires, which 
lead to the cultivation of the noble qualities which form 
a righteous character. On the other hand, the wills of 
bad men more readily yield to their evil desires, appetites 
and lusts, in disregard of their enlightened judgment, 
which choice leads to the formation of a wicked character. 
Moral responsibility therefore rests on the choice which 
men make of their own free will, and character is the re- 


Christian Doctrines 


IS© 

suit of the various choices which they make, as they 
tend to fix in the soul a state of permanent inclination to 
a good or evil course. Character determines a man’s 
action, and not the action the character. “The true con¬ 
ception is that man, with his free will, the power to de¬ 
termine his own moral action and character, stands in 
the presence of the motives which solicit him to choose, 
and freely makes his choice, or determines his governing 
purpose. Unless this power exists in men, of determin¬ 
ing their actions in the midst of whatever motives, there 
is no free agency, no obligation, no virtue, no sin.”— 
Fairchild. Man’s ability to choose makes him respon¬ 
sible for his choice. When the will is right, his acts are 
good, and he is morally right and approved of God. 
When the will is wrong, his acts are evil, and he is morally 
wrong and condemned of God. 

obligation —Its Nature , Origin, and Requirements 

Every person is conscious of or perceives that he has 
duties to perform, both for himself and others. It is im¬ 
possible to define it farther than to state that this is one of 
the first impressions which comes to an intelligent moral 
being; it “is an immediate, rational, intuitive perception.” 
To understand it, we must study its grounds and re¬ 
quirements. 

Origin .—Some affirm that an eternal principle of right 
determines obligation, that all duties are fixed by the 
simple fact that they are right. Others claim that the 
origin of all obligation is in the will of God. But do not 


Man—His Nature 


151 

both views resolve themselves back to the same thing? 
God has from eternity been holy and righteous in char¬ 
acter, and in all his plans and acts, so the principle of 
right has been eternal in the Divine Mind. We cannot 
go back of that. Then it has been the will of God that 
all intelligent beings should be and do right. The char¬ 
acter and will of God must agree. This is all we can 
know regarding its origin. 

Requirements .—God demands certain duties of us, 
which is the highest obligation. The first reason for 
doing it is because it is right, it is his will. Other reasons 
can be named, such as: our well-being is promoted 
thereby, God’s favor rests on our right choice, and the 
highest happiness of the individual is secured by it. 

Then we have duties to our neighbor. Why am I to 
do good to my neighbor? It is the will of God, it is 
right It is not only for the good of my neighbor, but in 
the end it will be found for my good also. The supreme 
Lawgiver has made and adjusted all relations to him 
and to our fellow-men in such a way that our happiness 
and wellbeing are secured and maintained by close 
attention to our obligations. Christ said, “Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. 
This is the first commandment. And the second is like, 
namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” 
Matt. 12: 30, 31. From love springs the most delightful 
service, both to God and man. Then the recipient of 
these services appreciates more highly what has been 


152 


Christian Doctrines 


rendered through love. All concerned are more highly 
benefited. 

What are we to understand by right and wrong? 
That course of action which meets obligations is right. 
That form of action which is opposed to duty or obliga¬ 
tion is wrong. Benevolence or righteous character is 
in itself right, while a neglect or refusal to possess such 
a character is wrong. Obedience to God is always 
right, for we know from his nature and character that 
all his requirements contemplate our highest good. 
Opposition to the will of God is wrong, for it is in con¬ 
flict with right, and must prove disastrous to the diso¬ 
bedient, and injurious to all affected by it. 

Conscience enables us to perceive what is right or 
wrong for us to do. The judgment must first decide, 
then conscience approves or disapproves. Conscience is 
not infallible, therefore the necessity of having a culti¬ 
vated conscience, enlightened by the study of the Scrip¬ 
tures and the Spirit of God, “a conscience void of offence 
toward God, and toward men.” Acts 14: 16. This 
state of feeling is necessary to a good conscience, for some 
of the worst things which have been done in the world 
have been done through a prejudice in the name of con¬ 
science, by certain religionists who thought they were 
doing God service while persecuting good men. Jesus 
said to his disciples, “They shall put you out of the syna¬ 
gogues : yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you 
will think that he doeth God service.” John 16: 2. The 
time of wicked and malicious persecution is not yet 


Man—His Nature 


i 53 


passed, nor is it confined to heathen lands. For refined 
cruelty nothing has ever been more heartless than the 
treatment accorded to some of the purest and noblest 
Christian men and women. The Word of God is the 
only infallible rule of faith and practice. If misjudged, 
there is a final appeal to the bar of God for the rectitude 
of one’s conduct. 

PERSONAL RIGHTS AND DUTIES 

government— Human and Divine 

Certain rights we call personal, because they respect 
the individual. The person claims that his rights, among 
them life, liberty, reputation, property, etc., should be 
regarded because his happiness and security depend on 
it. These must be the sole ground of his claims. 

A man’s personal rights are limited by the rights of 
others. He cannot claim protection in any right which 
is against the general welfare, nor can he claim as a 
right that which would cause the sacrifice of a greater 
good. A man’s property, and services, and even life 
may be needed for his country’s defence, when his right 
ceases. True, in most cases, he will receive compensa¬ 
tion but even if compensation were impossible, still he 
would be bound to surrender his right for the greater 
good. 

Some call the liberty to drink intoxicating liquors a 
personal right, “personal liberty,” but it is not. It is 
wanting in all the qualities which go to make a personal 
right. In the first place, it must be for the happiness 


154 


Christian Doctrines 


of the individual without the loss of a greater good. There 
is not an intelligent man but what knows that his physical, 
mental and moral well-being suffer greatly from this 
species of self-indulgence. Then the rights of others 
suffer thereby. The family and society are injured by 
it. No man can claim as a personal right that which 
will do him harm, and abridge the happiness and security 
of others. There are personal rights, but this is not one 
of them. 

Every one has rights which require the attention and 
help of others. This implies duties. The relations of 
life, as men exist in families, in societies, in churches, and 
the state require duties growing out of these relations. 
A man, therefore, has duties in the home, in society, to 
his church, and his country which, for his own highest 
good, can only be secured by perpetuating them. The 
good of all the people requires that all these interests shall 
be sacredly guarded. These rights of communities and 
states require for their existence and security: 

government —Divine and Human 

Finite beings cannot exist together without govern¬ 
ment. Every effort to secure absolute liberty for each 
person in a community has proved a failure, resulting in 
anarchy, and every species of violence and wrongdoing. 
This grows out of the limitations of our nature. Even 
the best of men will differ, and all make mistakes. Then 
a large proportion of the people are not good, and many 
are not very intelligent. Without government to define 


Man—His Nature 


i55 


the rights of the people as they exist together, interminable 
confusion would result. As we are now situated, most 
men are prone to evil, so that sin, and not righteousness, 
would hold sway if men were left to themselves. 

Government defines the rights of its subjects and fur¬ 
nishes motives for obedience to the laws; while its re¬ 
straints and penalties secure respect for the rights of 
others. Men are made secure and protected in their 
just rights. In our present existence, rewards and pen¬ 
alties are necessary. Men must learn that it is best for 
the general welfare to obey the laws, which constitutes 
a strong motive with good men. Bad men do not care 
for the general good, nor do they respect the rights of 
others, so penalties must be provided for such persons. 
Without rewards and penalties governments could not 
endure. 

There must be a head to the government, consisting 
of a person, or a body of men, to frame and execute the 
laws. These persons should, because of superior in¬ 
telligence and purity of life, be best qualified to rule. In 
human governments we have the monarchial form, gov¬ 
ernment by one; limited monarchies, government by a 
ruler, and representatives of the people; and republics, 
government by representatives chosen by the people. 
As men have become Christianized there has been a tend¬ 
ency toward representative forms of government; so 
that now all Christian powers are either limited mon¬ 
archies, or republics. 

God alone is capable of absolute control over the uni- 


156 


Christian Doctrines 


verse. His laws are right and admit of no change. His 
judgments are just and final. His power to execute the 
laws is unlimited, so there is no escape for the offender. 
The rewards for the obedient, and punishment for the 
sinner are as certain as the eternal throne. All kings, 
presidents, governors and judges are subject to him, and 
all their acts will be reviewed by him. 

Men are rewarded or punished in human governments 
for their overt acts, because of our inability to determine 
correctly the motives which have led to good or bad deeds. 
In the divine government the motive is what determines 
the quality of an act, and is made the ground of decision. 
If a man has it in his heart to kill his neighbor, even if 
the overt act is not committed for want of a suitable 
opportunity, yet he is a murderer in the sight of God and 
must answer for that crime at the judgment day. 

Penalties in the divine government serve the purpose as 
in human governments. They restrain men from sin. 
God’s displeasure is against all evil, and men must be 
made to feel it. The duration of punishment in the 
future life is chiefly a matter of revelation, but the Scrip¬ 
tures are very clear on that point. Still our reason 
teaches that the punishment of the persistent sinner must 
be eternal; he must suffer as long as he sins. There can 
be no reasonable doubt on this point. Nor can there be 
any hope for a sinner to improve in the future life, if he 
has been going farther and farther from God in this life, 
surrounded, as he is, by every inducement to lead him to 
Christ. This feature of the subject will be treated more 


Man—His Nature 


i57 


fully under the head, “The Future Life.” Even if man 
turns from his sins, the guilt for past transgression must for¬ 
ever remain. None but God can remove the guilt and 
he alone can forgive sins. A few references will serve to 
show what is the general tenor of the Scriptures: “De¬ 
part from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for 
the devil and his angels.” Matt. 25:41. “The angels 
shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the 
just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire.” Matt. 
13 : 5°- This is strong figurative language, but in the 
Scriptures the figure is not greater than the literal fact. 
Undoubtedly as fire represents the greatest physical suf¬ 
fering, so we must understand it in its application to 
spiritual truth to portray the greatest agony of a lost soul. 

God’s government extends to all worlds and is over all 
intelligent beings. His law concerns all and must bear 
justly on all. He could not doom the fallen angels to 
eternal perdition, and reserve them under everlasting 
chains of darkness, and pass by man’s sin. God must 
show to all beings in the universe his disapproval of sin 
and the offender. 


CHAPTER XII 


VIRTUE OR HOLINESS, AND SIN 

Virtue .—All obligation may be reduced to a regard for 
duty; first to God, and second to sentient beings, seeking 
the good, the welfare of all. Two attitudes are possible 
to every man, the choice of good or the evil. 

If a person respects the good and treats it according 
to its value, he has fulfilled his duty or obligation. Virtue 
may be defined as a benevolent character, and a righteous 
or holy life; for the individual maintains an attitude in 
which the will desires the good for its own sake, because 
it is right. Benevolence is a righteous character. Let 
us here distinguish between benevolence and beneficence. 
The first relates to a virtuous or holy character; the latter 
to the act of doing good or charity. A man may be 
counted beneficent, give largely, and not be virtuous or 
benevolent. But he cannot be benevolent without being 
beneficent and give Christian service or charity when the 
opportunity presents itself. 

Virtuous love is manifest in various forms, such as 
faith, obedience, veracity, gratitude, mercy, humility, jus¬ 
tice, self-denial, and all other righteous acts. This view 
accords with the Scriptures. Paul says, “Love is the 
fulfilling of the law.” Rom. 13:10. A benevolent 
character is controlled by love. Holiness means without 
sin, but it cannot exist in any degree, except in a virtuous 
158 


Virtue or Holiness , and Sin 


*59 


or benevolent being. Absolute holiness or perfection be¬ 
longs to God only, but in a modified sense man may be 
holy and live up to the best light he has. Holiness, or 
entire sanctification, as the Bible uses the terms applies 
to those who have an established, well rounded, mature 
Christian character, so that the thoughts and inclinations 
of the heart are steadily toward God and an upright life, 
in contrast with those Christians who, like babes, are 
falling down, getting up, vacillating, and seem wanting 
in that reliability essential to the best type of virtuous 
manhood. Young converts are babes in Christ, and 
should study to improve as rapidly as possible in all the 
graces which go to make up a mature Christian. 

Sin .—A failure to meet obligation is sin. Some think 
to do no harm is not to sin, but such is not the teaching of 
the Scriptures. The Apostle says, “Therefore to him that 
knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 
James 4:17. The parable of the foolish virgins illustrates 
this truth. They simply neglected to take oil in their 
vessels, Matt. 25:1-13. 

The transgression of the law of God is sin. John says, 
“Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. Some 
ask, “Why is the transgression of God’s law sin?” Because 
his law is right and secures the highest good to those who 
obey it. Paul says, “The law is holy, and the command¬ 
ment holy, and just, and good.” Rom. 7:12. So any 
duties neglected, or acts committed in violation of God’s 
law are sins. 

How are men led into sin? There are two influences 


160 Christian Doctrines 

calling for attention before a man sins. First, the 
judgment calls to duty, to regard what is right in a given 
case, and man’s intelligence makes this clear to his mind. 
Secondly, the desires, passions, and impulses crave grati¬ 
fication, and thus become a source of temptation. If the 
latter are opposed to the call of duty, yielding to them 
would be sin. These desires and passions, unless they have 
become morbid by unlawful indulgence, are not in them¬ 
selves wrong, for they were created for a good purpose; 
but the sin is in their unwise and improper gratification. 
Regulated by reason, they are right but when, in disregard 
of reason, they gain the ascendency over a man, he be¬ 
comes a sinner. James says, “Let no man say when he 
is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be 
tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man; But 
every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own 
lust, and enticed.” James 1:13, 14. 

What constitutes a sinner? It is a person, I repeat, in 
whom desires and passions gain the ascendency, in dis¬ 
regard of his better judgment. Both the judgment and 
the conscience must be enlightened by the study of the 
Scriptures, and the aid of Holy Spirit to discern duty, 
otherwise a man will have an evil conscience of unbelief. 
In that state he will seek his own gratification as an end. 
“But,” you say, “does he know better?” Yes, the self-in¬ 
dulgent man knows that he will regret his choice. The 
strongest desire of his sinful nature is present pleasure 
or gratification. This he indulges at the sacrifice of the 
noble principles of manhood, which, had they been culti- 


Virtue or Holiness , and Sin 161 

vated, would have secured for him enduring good. The 
gloomy feature of the sinner’s neglect to heed the calls 
of duty will be the loss of keen, conscientious scruples, 
until the conscience will cease to trouble him, which means 
abandonment to the desires of his evil nature. 

What is original sin? Without considering the various 
views which have been published, it is best for us to con¬ 
fine our study to as much and no more than the Scriptures 
teach on the subject. Men inherit from a sinful ancestry 
a perverted and fallen nature. God said that he would 
visit “The iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto 
the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” 
Ex. 20: 5. Physical and mental evil descend from parents 
to children. All intelligent observers know this. They 
know also that some children inherit far superior moral 
faculties than others. This, however, does not involve 
blame on the children, but it does on the parents. Parents 
are guilty in most cases for entailing on their children 
these physical, mental and moral deformities. While 
such children have not sinned, and no one is blame¬ 
worthy who has not wilfully sinned, yet it must be ad¬ 
mitted that such persons, having inherited a weak moral 
nature, are more easily tempted and more readily fall into 
sin. It is the duty of parents to see that their children 
enter on life with the best possible inheritance of physical, 
mental and moral faculties, free from the taints of and 
tendencies to bad habits. They may not be able to give 
them wealth, but they can give them what is more valuable, 
a good constitution. The fall of our first parents has 


162 


Christian Doctrines 


weakened the moral nature of all their descendants. 
Since the fall each generation has declined, or risen, in 
proportion to its neglect or its cultivation of moral virtues. 

Sinful men are those whose permanent inclination is in 
the direction of selfishness, pride, ambition, avarice, 
sensuality, etc. This constitutes a sinful character. A 
Christian or benevolent character has a permanent in¬ 
clination toward virtuous acts, such as, love, joy, peace, 
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, 
temperance, etc. 

Can holiness and sin co-exist in the heart? In the case 
of the sinner it is easy to see that his heart is wholly sinful, 
without any holiness whatever. He may do some good 
acts, but that does not make him a Christian; his nature 
remains the same. Many theories have been advanced 
to explain the lapses of Christians, for they do sometimes 
.fall into sin. It will not' do, therefore, to suppose that 
sin and holiness exist together. The one excludes the 
other. If a righteous man sins, he must repent and be 
forgiven like the sinner. Does a righteous man become 
a sinner by occasionly falling into sin? Not if he repents 
and is forgiven, no more than a sinner becomes a Chris¬ 
tian by doing a good act. A Christian man has a settled 
inclination and permanent purpose to lead a Christian 
life, and in that fixed purpose he remains. If he sins, 
his quick conscience reproves, he flies back to God for 
forgiveness, and thereby retains his favor. The sinner 
has a fixed or permanent inclination toward sinful ways. 
He may do some good acts, but they do not make him 


Virtue or Holiness , and Sin 


163 


righteous. His character is wrong, and his face is turned 
away from God. When he sins the thought of repentence 
and seeking God does not come to him. 

Men cannot go two ways at the same time. The 
Scriptures do not teach mixed action: “No man can serve 
two masters. ... Ye cannot serve God and mammon” 
Matt. 6:24. “If any man love the world, the love of 
the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2: 15. “He that is 
not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with 
me scattereth abroad.” Matt. 12: 30. In the Christian 
heart no sin can be indulged. It must be immediately 
expelled or it will corrupt the whole character. The 
ever present Holy Spirit in Christian hearts is the chief 
inspiration to good works, the source of Christian joy, a 
solace in sorrow, and the blessed assurance of God’s favor. 

HISTORY OF SIN 

Some speak of sin as though it were an entity, a real 
being. They ask, “Why was sin created?” With such 
people there is an entire misapprehension of what sin is. 
Sin is a neglect of duty, or an act of intelligent beings in 
violation of the law of God. The apostle John says, 
“Whatsoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: 
for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. 

But sin is in the world. Wherever men exist sin is 
found. No tribe of men has ever been discovered, even 
on the most remote island of the ocean, where sin was not. 
The universal sinfulness of men must be admitted. This 
accords with the scriptural account, “For all have sinned, 


164 


Christian Doctrines 


and come short of the glory of God,” Rom. 3: 23. “The 
whole world lieth in wickedness,” 1 John r: 19. “If we 
say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his 
word is not in us.” 1 John 1: 10. 

What is total depravity? It seems to be that state of 
the sinful heart which, if left to itself, would be uninter¬ 
ruptedly sinful. This is the natural state of a sinner. 
In this life, however, there are gracious influences and 
calls of the Holy Spirit which serve as a restraint to sinful 
men, so we do not find them yet given over fully to their 
own ways. From this we must conclude that the final 
withdrawal of the Holy Spirit means abandonment of the 
sinner to the reign of evil. While sinners may do some 
good acts, they lack in that purity of motive which is 
necessary to constitute them virtuous acts. This de¬ 
pravity may not involve desperate wickedness, for the 
sinner may have many good traits, but the bent of his life 
and thoughts are away from God. He is persistent in a 
wicked course so that, unaided by some outside influence, 
he would ever continue so. Sinners do not of themselves 
become Christians. If left to themselves, without the 
call of the Holy Spirit, the influence of the Gospel 
or of good men, they would never choose a righteous 
life. 

This is the condition in which we find the race. What 
account is there for this sinful state of the world? The 
scriptural account is reasonable. Man was made in the 
image of God, a pure being, free from every taint of or 
inclination to sin. God placed him in the most favorable 


Virtue or Holiness , and Sin 165 

condition to maintain an upright character, surrounded 
him with all the attractions and loveliness of an Eden of 
delight, an earthly paradise. Before him were placed 
motives for obedience, and he was given abundant oc¬ 
cupation, so that idleness with its great train of physical, 
mental and moral evils, need not breed sin. He was also 
forewarned of the consequence of sin. Nevertheless, 
man sinned and fell. Sin was in the universe before man 
yielded to it. There was a tempter, styled “that old 
serpent, called the Devil and Satan,” who found this gar¬ 
den of delight and the happy pair. Himself fallen, his de¬ 
sire was to wreck the happiness of others. He approached 
the innocent and trusting nature; trusting, for it had 
never been betrayed, and was therefore susceptible to 
temptation. Satan was not rough or abrupt, but asked 
the woman, doubtless in the most plausible way, “Hath 
God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” 
The woman replied, “Of the fruit of a tree which is in 
the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat 
of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Satan said, 
“Ye shall not surely die.” Now was the time for the 
woman to turn away, but she made the fatal mistake 
made since by thousands of her descendants; she listened 
to the tempter. With longing eyes she looked on the 
forbidden fruit and “Saw that the tree was good for food, 
and that it was pleasant to the eyes, a tree to be desired 
to make one wise; she took of the fruit thereof, and did 
eat, and gave unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” 
Gen. 3: 1-6. This is the way sin entered, very much as 


166 


Christian Doctrines 


it enters now. Deception, a plausible deception was, 
and is being, practiced. 

Fallen Angels. —Jesus said, the devil “abode not in 
the truth.” John 8:44. Again he said, “I beheld Satan 
as lightning fall from heaven.” Luke 10:18. From 
this we must infer that he was a good angel before he fell 
and became a devil. Peter says, “God spared not the 
angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and de¬ 
livered them into the chains of darkness, to be reserved 
unto judgment.” 2 Peter 2:4. These angels, which 
sinned, were cast down to hell. The chains refer to the 
condemnation which rests upon them until the final 
judgment. It does not mean that they are bound, for 
they are represented as going about on their evil mission 
to destroy men. The revised version says, “pits of dark¬ 
ness,” in hell. We must understand that hell is their 
abode, but they are permitted to sally forth at times as 
the emissaries of Satan to tempt men to evil. Jude says, 
“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but 
left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting 
chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great 
day.” Jude 6. He also spake of Michael, the archangel, 
having a contention with the devil about the body of 
Moses, mentioned in the ninth verse. That angels ex¬ 
isted before the creation of man, is clearly taught. God 
said in his reply to Job that, at the creation, “The morn¬ 
ing stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted 
for joy.” Job 38: 7. Sons of God here must refer 
to angels, for man was not yet created. Some of the 


Virtue or Holiness , and Sin 


167 


angels, and one notably of great power, fell. The leader 
of this host was the devil. John in Revelation describes 
the contest in heaven when the Dragon and his angels 
were cast out, and he drew with him a third part of the 
stars, or angels of heaven. “And there was war in 
heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the 
Dragon; and the Dragon fought and his angels, and pre¬ 
vailed not; neither was their place found any more in 
heaven. And the great Dragon was cast out, that old 
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the 
whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his 
angels were cast out with him.” Then there was a voice 
in heaven which said, “The accuser of our brethem is 
cast down, which did accuse them before our God day 
and night.” Rev. 12:3, 4, 7-9, 10. What led to the 
fall of the angels? This is not revealed, and we cannot 
know. They were placed on probation the same as our 
first parents. Surrounded with the glories of heaven 
and in the midst of its ineffable splendors, they fell. 
There is no account of a tempter being there. Possibly 
ambition led one of the highest angels to rebel against 
the government of God. We do not know, but can only 
suppose this to be a possible cause. That he caused 
much trouble in heaven is clearly stated, for he had been 
accusing his brethren day and night, probably for a long 
period, before he was expelled from heaven. When he was 
cast down to the earth, he came with a purpose to curse 
it. John says, “Wo to the inhabitants of the earth and 
of the sea for the Devil is come down unto you, having 


i68 


Christian Doctrines 


great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short 
time.” Rev. 12: 12. 

The Devil is not omnipresent, but with his multitude 
of angels he is able to attend bad men, intensify and often 
suggest their evil designs. He finds time to tempt good 
men, the least yielding on their part being quickly seized 
upon, and they are caught by the snare of the Devil. 
Paul, in writing to the Ephesian church, thus describes 
their former course when Satan was their master: 
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course 
of this world, according to the prince of the power of 
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of 
disobedience.” Eph. 2:2. That the Jews believed 
that there were many devils, of which Beelezbub was 
the prince, is evident from their accusation of Jesus, 
when they heard that he was casting out devils: “But 
when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth 
not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the 
devils.” Matt. 12:24. When Jesus addressed the 
devils who were cast out of a man, they answered, “My 
name is legion: for we are many.” Mark 5: 9. 

Evil spirits tempt men to sin. Satan tempted Eve 
when he was disguised as one of the beasts of the field, 
pen. 3:1-6. He tempted David to sin: “And Satan 
stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number 
Israel.” 1 Chron. 21:1. He took possession of Judas: 
“Then entered Satan into Judas, sumamed, Iscariot.” 
Luke 22: 3. Ananias was tempted by him, “But Peter 
said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to 


Virtue or Holiness , and Sin 169 

the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the 
land?” Acts 5:3. 

Very much is said in the Scriptures about Satan, the 
arch enemy of God and man. In the limits of this 
volume we can only instance a few cases, but they are 
sufficient to prove his personality, and his vigilance in 
evil designs. No man can lead a holy life without the aid 
of the Holy Spirit, nor can he escape the temptations of 
Satan; but with the help of God he is able to resist every 
influence of the adversary of souls. On the other hand, 
wicked men are left more and more to their evil inclina¬ 
tions as they continue in sin, while Satan, with his legions, 
are pressing round, leading them captive at his will, 
until at last the Spirit of God ceases to strive with them 
and, abandoned by the Almighty, they sink to the 
depths of evil and misery. 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE ATONEMENT 

Closely following the fact of sin is the gracious pro¬ 
vision of salvation through Jesus Christ. It had been 
announced that the penalty of sin would be death, 
physical, spiritual and eternal death. Paul says in Rom. 
5:12, “By one man sin entered into the world, and 
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that 
all have sinned.” This is what God said to Adam when 
he charged him not to eat forbidden fruit: “But of the 
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not 
eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt 
surely die.” Gen. 2:17. We all know that physical 
and spiritual death are in the world as the result of sin. 
By sinning against, or violating the laws of our physical 
nature, we cause disease and death. A state of sin is 
spiritual death, which separates man from God. Inas¬ 
much as eternal death is an eternal continuation of a life 
of sin in the future state, when the offender will be sep¬ 
arated from God and reap the just penalties of sin, we must 
conclude that this also is involved in the possibility that 
many will choose to abide in a sinful state. No doubt 
the sin of Adam and Eve would have caused their im¬ 
mediate physical death if there had not been a provision 
made at once to avert the penalty, the promise of a Sav¬ 
iour. God said to Satan that the Christ to come, the 
170 


The Atonement 


171 

seed of the woman, “shall bruise thy head.” Paul 
alludes to this when he said to the church of Rome, “And 
the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet 
shortly.” Rom. 16: 20. The promise of a Saviour is 
foreshadowed in the Old Testament in the passover, 
in sacrifices, and proclaimed in Messianic prophecy. 

The necessity of an Atonement is involved in this death 
penalty which is passed on man because of sin. One of 
two things must be done; either he must suffer the penalty 
to its full extent, or a substitute must be provided which 
would be acceptable to the Lawmaker. Out of his in¬ 
finite compassion God chose to provide a Redeemer and 
Saviour, John 3: 16. “God so loved the world, that he 
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That 
Christ is a satisfactory substitute must be inferred from 
the fact that it is the Father’s plan, and that he was a 
meritorious sacrifice must be conceded from the sinless 
purity of his life and his voluntary offering of himself. 
Jesus said of his mission, Matt. 20: 28: “The Son of 
man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and 
to give his life a ransom for many.” Paul wrote to 
Timothy, 1 Tim. 2: 6, that Christ “gave himself a ran¬ 
som for all.” 

The Scriptures, which refer to Christ as an atoning 
sacrifice and as a condition of pardon and redemption for 
men, are very numerous and clear. All the sacrifices on 
Jewish altars were typical of Christ who should come in 
the fullness of time to suffer and die for the world. Old 


172 


Christian Doctrines 


Testament prophecies are so clear that they read very 
much like the later history of events in the life of Jesus. 
In Isa. 53: 5, 6, the prophet says, “He was wounded for 
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; 
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with 
his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone 
astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and 
Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This 
whole chapter can be read profitably while studying this 
subject. It is a very correct view of the scenes of the 
crucifixion. Compare the history. He was pierced by the 
thorns on his brow, the nails in his hands and feet, and 
the spear in his side; he was bruised, or crushed, one of 
the strongest expressions in Hebrew to express severity 
of suffering; he received judicial scourging preparatory 
to his crucifixion. This was a punishment of the most 
cruel nature, inflicted by a whip made of a number of 
leather thongs, loaded with sharp bones or spikes, so 
that every blow cut deep in the flesh of the bare back. 
Peter says, 1 Peter 2: 24, “Who his own self bare our sins 
in his body on the tree, that we, having died unto sins, 
might live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were 
healed.” John 3: 14, 15, “As Moses lifted up the ser¬ 
pent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be 
lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have eternal life.” John 6:51, “I am the 
living bread which came down from heaven: if any man 
eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that 
I will give is my flesh, which I give for the life of the 


The Atonement 


*73 


world.” Rom. 5:8, “While we were yet sinners, Christ 
died for us.” Rom. 3: 25, 26, “Whom God set forth to 
be a propitiation, through faith, by his blood, to show 
his righteousness, because of the passing over of the sins 
done aforetime, in the forebearance of God, . . . that 
he might himself be just and the justified of him that 
believeth in Jesus.” Here Christ is set forth as a pro¬ 
pitiation, to appease an offended God, whose anger has 
ever been against sin. He becomes the atoning sacri¬ 
fice for the sinner, and God accepts his Son as a substitute 
for the sinner, and justice is appeased, or satisfied. God 
is not displeased with his well beloved Son, but he is 
angry with the wicked, and now that Christ has offered 
himself a sacrifice for sinners, God accepts; the demands of 
justice are met; and God can be just, and the justifier of 
him that believeth in Jesus. 1 Cor. 5:7, “Christ our 
passover is sacrificed for us.” Gal. 3:13, “Christ hath 
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a 
curse for us.” 2 Cor. 5:21; “Him who knew no sin 
he made to be sin (a sin-offering ), on our behalf, that we 
might become the righteousness of God in him.” This 
does not mean that the absolutely pure and holy Son of 
man was made a sinner, but he chose to suffer for sinful 
men that they might be forgiven and made righteous. 
Heb. 9:14. “How much more shall the blood of Christ 
who, through the eternal Spirit offered himself without 
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to 
serve the living God?” 1 Peter 6: 18, 19, “Forasmuch 
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible 


174 


Christian Doctrines 


things, as silver and gold, . . . but with the precious 
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without 
spot.” In these two passages the spotless purity of 
Christ as our sacrifice is clearly stated, i John 2: 2, 
“And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours 
only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” The 
Greek word used for propitiation by John signifies that 
a person must be propitiated, and points to the expiatory 
sacrifice of Christ. It is a different word from the one 
used by Paul in some of his epistles, translated propitia¬ 
tion, where it signifies the reconciliation of the two 
parties. In some sense the world is made the recipient 
of the benefits of the sacrifice of Christ. Even sinful men 
are greatly benefited by the blessings of a Christian coun¬ 
try, but all will not therefore be saved, for some will 
reject the offers of salvation. There are some who have 
little appreciation of the great blessings of the Gospel. 
Only those who accept Christ as their Saviour can receive 
in its fullness his saving grace. 

These passages serve to show what the Scriptures 
teach regarding salvation through Christ. The doctrine 
of the Atonement runs through the Old and New Testa¬ 
ments, and constitutes the central thought of these 
Scriptures; for the whole Jewish ritual pertaining to 
sacrifices, pointed as types to the Christ who, in the full¬ 
ness of time came as the Antitype to make in his own 
person a perfect and sufficient sacrifice of himself for the 
sins of the whole world. The New Testament is a his¬ 
tory of that sacrifice and its application. It gives the 


The Atonement 


175 


origin of the Christian system, and is the only rational 
account for the fact that Christ has become the cen¬ 
tral figure of history, and Christianity the dominant force 
in this world. 

Skeptics have chosen to say that pardon of repentant 
sinners will lead to lawlessness; and that the Father de¬ 
manding the sacrifice of his Son, the innocent for the 
guilty, is cruel and monstrous. We must deal with 
facts, not mere assumptions. All the facts are against 
these assumptions of skepticism. Has the pardon of 
sinners and salvation through Christ led to a disregard 
for the Divine Law? On the contrary, it has proved the 
mightiest power in the world to make men better; it is 
the only power. A full and free offer of pardon to men, 
through Christ, has not encouraged them to sin, but has 
restrained and led them to abhor sin. It has been dem¬ 
onstrated that Christ’s work in the world was necessary. 
He is saving it. Nothing else has ever improved human 
society, and yet many things have been tried. Concern¬ 
ing the second assumption, the Father did not demand 
the sacrifice of his Son. Christ said that he would give 
his life for many, and Paul said that Christ “gave himself 
a ransom for all.” This makes all the difference. The 
world has always bestowed its highest honors on those 
who have chosen to make sacrifices of themselves, or 
suffer death for others. The Gospel power is in the fact 
“that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners;” 
and that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should 


176 


Christian Doctrines 


not perish, but have everlasting life,” John 3:16. 
Christ’s gift of himself as an atonement for the sins of 
men, and the gift of the Father in accepting the sacri¬ 
fice of his Son because of his love for the world, are such 
an exhibition of the rectitude of the divine government, 
which will not permit sin to go unpunished, that men are 
led to view it as exceedingly vile and to abhor it. The 
love of God draws men to Christ. 

Many theories have been advanced regarding the 
Atonement. The following deserve special attention: 

1. The Moral Influence Theory. It is supposed that 
all that is necessary is to secure man’s repentance, that 
God can and will forgive, if sinners are desirous of for¬ 
giveness, and sorry for sin. This view is held by those 
who deny the divinity of our Lord. They claim that the 
only penalty of sin men suffer at the time of transgression. 
While it is admitted that repentance is necessary to the 
salvation of sinners, yet this view is inadequate, for it by 
no means meets the requirements of government. To 
offer pardon simply on the ground of repentance would 
subvert all governments and break down all authority. 
There must be strong motives for obedience, and penalty 
is one of them. The opinion that natural consequences 
constitute the entire penalty of law is not sustained. 
There must be some way to show God’s disapproval of 
sin. 

2. The Satisfaction or Penal Theory. This is the view 
generally held by orthodox Christians. “The soul that 
sinneth it shall die.” Here is the penalty of sin. If 


The Atonement 


177 


permitted to go unpunished it would be anarchy, the 
overthrow of all government. When man sins he must 
suffer the penalty, or some adequate satisfaction must be 
rendered to divine justice to meet the demands of the law. 
Man cannot by future obedience atone for past sins, for 
he can do no more than is required of him every moment 
of life as it passes. The sins of the past remain a record 
against him. God cannot forgive without at the same 
time being just. There must be no conflict. Christ, 
the spotless Lamb of God, who had no sin to repent of, 
or to be forgiven, came to suffer for us. Gal. 3:13, 
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, 
being made a curse for us.” Paul in his epistle to the 
Romans 3: 23-26, clearly states that God set forth, or 
declared, his righteous judgment regarding sins that are 
past, when he accepted Christ as a sacrifice for sinners: 
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 
Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption 
that is in Christ: Whom God hath set forth to be a pro¬ 
pitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his right¬ 
eousness for the remission of sins that are past, through 
the forebearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time 
his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of 
him which believeth in Jesus.” The plain meaning of 
this passage is this: Christ came into the world, lived, 
suffered and died for sinful men; propitiated, or ren¬ 
dered satisfaction to divine justice for their sins which 
are past; and because of this provision through the grace 
of God, those who have faith in his blood are redeemed 


i 7 » 


Christian Doctrines 


and saved. We are also told that it declares or proclaims 
the righteous judgment of God, his abhorrence of sin, and 
that forgiveness was not possible except through the 
sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God. In view of this 
sacrifice God can be just, and as the justifier can forgive 
and save those who believe in Jesus. 

Some object to this statement of the doctrine, believing 
that it involves the conclusion that all will be finally saved. 
But such is not the case, for the whole provision for man’s 
salvation is through grace, and God has chosen to limit 
its benefits to those who repent of sin and believe in 
Christ. Certainly, if it is a gracious gift of Christ, it is 
right and just that he should demand of the recipient 
some kind of fitness to receive it; a repentance, renunci¬ 
ation of a sinful life, and faith or trust in the Saviour. 

3. The Government theory . It is held that the full 
and free forgiveness of every sinner on condition of 
repentance would break down any government, and 
encourage disobedience. This must be admitted. It 
is conceded that the object of the Atonement is to estab¬ 
lish government, and yet make the forgiveness of sin 
possible. We have no controversy with the governmental 
theory as far as it harmonizes with the Scriptures and 
reason. The great difficulty with some doctrinal theories 
is in making them too limited. The fact is, the Moral 
Influence Theory is correct as far as it goes. There must 
be a moral influence brought to bear on the sinner to lead 
him to repent of and renounce his sinful life, but that is 
not enough. The work is not complete. The Satis- 


The Atonement 


179 


faction Theory is also correct, for there must be some 
way in which God will show his abhorrence of sin, and 
by which men can be impressed with the rectitude of 
the divine government. In the Atonement they see there 
is no escape from the just judgment of God. Christ 
suffers for man, and through Faith in the Saviour man 
is forgiven. This view leads men to renounce and ab¬ 
hor sin. Why is all this? The Governmental Theory 
maintains that it is to sustain the government of God and 
secure the greatest well-being of his subjects. This is 
also true. It is a mistake to break into fragments these 
three essential parts of one great truth. A moral in¬ 
fluence is brought to bear to lead sinners to repentance, 
Christ’s sacrifice redeems them and makes forgiveness 
possible, and the government of God in the world is 
thereby made secure. 

Why is penalty necessary? It shows the fidelity of a 
ruler to his government. By the punishment of the 
transgressor the efficiency of the government is made to 
appear. No sin in the divine government will be passed 
by or treated lightly. Sinners must feel that there is 
no escape from the just penalty of God. This fear of 
punishment serves as a restraint when men are tempted 
to sin. All the subjects of government see the conse¬ 
quences of sin and are impressed with a fear to do wrong. 
There are other motives which restrain men from sin, 
such as love for the ruler, love of Christ, and of one’s 
country, a high regard for righteousness, etc. Still, in 
the early life of children, and in the case of a very 


i8o 


Christian Doctrines 


large portion of mankind where an appeal to the higher 
motives will have but little influence, the restraint from 
fear is the chief motive, and must be until a virtuous life 
controls the individual. 

In civil government, crime ceases to be regarded as 
crime when it ceases to be punished. The result would 
be the same in the divine government if no fear of punish¬ 
ment existed. In fact, the deferring of punishment has a 
tendency in the case of sinners to cause them to continue 
in sin. Solomon says, “Because sentence against an evil 
work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the 
sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Eccl. 8: n. 

The well-being of God’s rational creatures, his subjects, 
is the end of government. When this is secured, the 
honor of God, the dignity of law, and the ends of justice 
will all be maintained. The Atonement is adapted to 
these ends. 

1. Men are impressed with the exceedingly offensive 
character of sin by God’s acceptance of the sacrifice of 
Christ for sinners; and the love of God for the world in 
withholding not his only Son our Lord to die for us, must 
ever make a profound impression wherever the Gospel is 
preached. 

2. So far as there is a demand for punishment in the 
mind of God, the Atonement satisfies it. It is not a 
question as to the degree of suffering which Christ en¬ 
dured, though we know from the record it was very great, 
but of meeting the requirements of justice so as to main¬ 
tain the supremacy of God’s law. We know the Atone- 


The Atonoment 


181 

ment does this. No man can study the Word of God with 
a view of learning what it says on this subject without 
being impressed with the heinousness of sin, the certainty 
of punishment, and the wonderful love of God in pro¬ 
viding a Saviour; so God can be just and yet forgive re¬ 
pentant sinners who believe in Jesus. Justice is not only 
so much punishment for so much sin, but it is satisfied 
when the well-being of the world is secured. The sal¬ 
vation of repentant sinners is made possible through the 
Atonement; it would be impossible without it. 

In regard to the extent of the Atonement, the Scriptures 
clearly teach that it was made for all men. Paul says, 
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the 
angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and 
honor: that he by the grace of God should taste death for 
every man.” Heb. 2: 9. Again John says, “And he is the 
propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also 
for the whole world.” 1 John 2: 2. The provision for 
the salvation of sinners is ample. All are likewise in¬ 
vited to come to Christ and be saved. Paul says, God 
our Saviour “will have all men to be saved, and to come 
unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Tim. 2:4. “And 
the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that 
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst, come: 
and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” 
Rev. 22: 17. “Look unto me and be ye saved, all ye 
ends of the earth.” Isa. 45: 22. Certainly no fault lies 
in the provision or the invitation that many remain 
unsaved. 


182 


Christian Doctrines 


But all men will not be saved simply because the in¬ 
vitation is given and the provision is ample. They can, 
as many have done, reject all the offers of salvation, and 
go on until the day of final doom. A train is standing at 
the railroad depot. Fifty persons, who have been offered 
free transportation on this special excursion, are on the 
platform. Some are taken and others are left. There 
was room in the cars for all, but some did not choose to 
go. Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth 
the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto her! 
how often would I have gathered thy children together, 
even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, 
and ye would not!” Matt. 23:37. Here is the statement 
of the whole case. Christ is willing, the provision is 
made for man’s salvation, but many will be lost because 
they neglect, others refuse, and some spurn the offers 
of salvation. 

Why did Christ come into the world? Chiefly to save 
it. This is what the prophecies of the Old Testament and 
the history of the New teach. From all eternity the Son 
of God had dwelt in the bosom of the Father in the har¬ 
mony of a perfect companionship, and as the object of his 
love; the equal of the Father in all the attributes of his 
nature, yet he ever chose to do the Father’s will. The 
Father made the world by his Son, and now that it is 
lost Christ comes to redeem it. He is a central figure in 
the glorious personages of heaven, loved by the Father, 
and adored by the angels, yet he comes to the world as its 
Saviour. Men must come to know God in some tangible 


The Atonement 


183 


way. This has been the history of his manifestations 
in the Old Testament. He appeared in the form of 
a man or an angel. Such appearances were frequent. 
It has been maintained and is susceptible of proof, that 
the Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Christ of the 
New. Now this Divine Son of God unites himself to 
Jesus, the Son of Mary, and thus takes our human nature 
into an eternal union with the Divine Nature. During 
his stay in the world he made God known to men as he 
could not have been revealed otherwise. He entered 
into our suffering, bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, 
died to save us, and rose triumphant over the grave. 
He is our Elder Brother, is to be our Judge, and we are 
all called to stand before his judgment seat for the final 
adjudication of the issues of time and destinies of eternity. 


CHAPTER XIV 


atonement— Benefits 

Many accept Christ as their Saviour. To them come 
all the benefits of the Atonement: Conversion, Repent¬ 
ance unto salvation, Forgiveness of sins (Justification by 
by faith), Regeneration, Assurance, Sanctification, Glo¬ 
rification. 

CONVERSION 

Conversion, strictly speaking and in a limited sense, 
means turning, turning about. The sinner becomes con¬ 
scious that his course is displeasing to God, and against 
his own best interests, and like a reasonable man he 
decides to change his life. This decision may be reached 
when a man is calmly reviewing his course of life and, 
seeing where he is drifting, he reaches the sane conclusion 
to change his ways. Of course he is not alone in deciding, 
for the Holy Spirit is always present to aid any soul which 
is moving towards God. A large class must be aroused 
by powerful appeals from the Word of God, and the 
Holy Spirit before they will give this subject such attention 
as will lead to a renewed life. Jesus said, “Except ye be 
converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter 
into the kingdom of heaven. ,, Matt. 18:3. “Let the 
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will 
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abun- 
184 


A tonement—Benefits 


i8 5 

dantly pardon.” Isa. 55:7. The wicked man shows 
this change by ceasing to sin and turning to a righteous 
life. No genuine conversion can exist in the soul un¬ 
less a man forsakes his sinful ways and begins a new and 
upright course of conduct. 

In a much broader sense the term conversion is made 
to embrace not only the change of purpose and conduct, 
but also repentance, justification and regeneration. Per¬ 
haps it is so understood generally as used by the people 
and their Christian pastors. Inasmuch as these subjects 
shall be treated separately, the reader will be left to adopt 
such use of the word as shall best suit him. Both views 
are supported by the Scriptures. 

REPENTANCE UNTO SALVATION 

Repentance is sorrow for misconduct of any kind. It 
may proceed from fear of the consequences of a sinful 
course, or simply regret for a vile act. This is the sorrow 
of the world, and will do no good. The apostle says, 
“The sorrow of the world worketh death.” 2 Cor. 
7: 10. It has none of the elements of true repentance. 
To this class belong all those persons who, in the presence 
of great danger to life, are very penitent and apparently 
sincere, but as soon as the danger is over lapse back into 
all their evil ways. 

Genuine repentance is more than regret or sorrow for 
sin. It must proceed from a desire to change one’s 
course of life. It is sorrow, a deep conviction in the soul 
that it has sinned against God, an earnest desire for for- 


i86 


Christian Doctrines 


giveness, and a purpose to lead a new life. Paul said 
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation.” 
2 Cor. 7: io. It never stops short of a complete surrender 
to Christ in deep penitence of soul for sins that are past, 
and trust in the mercy of God for his saving grace. Peter 
said, “Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins 
may be blotted out.” Acts 3:19. Antecedent to re¬ 
pentance there must be a conviction in the heart of the 
sinner that he is vile in the eye of God, is a sinful being 
under condemnation. This awakening is wrought by the 
Holy Spirit; “No man can come to me, except the Father 
which sent me draw him.” John 6: 44. Men in sin do 
not show the same reason and sense which they do in 
the business of life. In business, if something claims 
immediate attention it receives it—no neglect, no delay; 
but in religious matters procrastination is the rule, even 
when sinners are fully convinced that the immediate 
acceptance of Christ is an imperative duty, which it is 
perilous to neglect. So the Spirit of God comes and calls 
men to Christ. They can accept the invitation or refuse. 
Sometimes the conviction wrought in the soul by the Holy 
Spirit is very deep, causing in the man great distress of 
mind as he gets a view of his sinful character. When this 
is the case it is very wholesome and helpful for a sinner to 
feel that he is facing his sinful life. All do not have this 
deep emotion, nor is it necessary in all cases to produce 
proper conviction. God knows what the sinner needs, 
and if he is completely surrendered to the will of God, he 
will do for him what is best. If he needs such an awaken- 


Atonement—Benefits 


187 


ing as Paul had, he will get it, but if not, he may not get 
it; still in each case the soul will be led into the light of 
salvation. 

forgiveness of sins —Justification by Faith 
Faith must precede justification. Paul says, “But 
without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that 
cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a 
rewarder of them that diligently seek him. ,, Heb. 11:6. 
First, is the faith of assent: a belief in the Divine existence. 
This is necessary, but it alone will not save a man. Bad 
men and devils believe there is a God. James says, 
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: 
the devils also believe and tremble.” Jas. 2: 19. Faith 
must reach beyond mere assent to truth. We must go 
far enough to trust in God for salvation, must believe 
“that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, ,, 
“As many as received him, to them gave he the power to 
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his 
name.” John 1:12. A religious writer defines Faith to be 
“An acceptance of the fact that God now pardons my sins 
for Jesus’ sake.” The jailer fell down before Paul and Silas 
and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they 
said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
be saved.” Acts 17:30, 31. Still this trust or belief 
which we are required to use is divinely aided. On our 
part there must be an effort to trust in God, when God 
immediately comes to our assistance. Paul says, “For 
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your- 


i88 


Christian Doctrines 


selves; it is the gift of God.” Eph. 2:8. No sinner 
need fear to come because of his weakness and igno¬ 
rance. All that is necessary is to try to believe and God 
makes the faith complete and saves. 

By what means can a sinner come to God in faith? 
Chiefly by prayer. The prayer of faith is the prayer of a 
soul confiding in God, and trusting that he will keep his 
promise and save. God has made mighty promises 
which a sinner can claim. ‘‘Him that cometh to me I 
will in no wise cast out.” John 6: 37. “And this is the 
confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything 
according to his will, he heareth us.” 1 John 5:14. It 
is always God’s will to save a repenting, believing sinner. 

Some have been saved in the reading of God’s word, 
some while hearing a Gospel sermon, and others while 
meditating on God. In whatever attitude the soul is when 
his faith looks to God for salvation he will receive it. Look 
and live. God makes no hard conditions. Sometimes 
man does, but God does not. 

Justification. In conversion and repentance man has 
been performing his part. He has changed his course, 
and felt sorrow for his sins. True, he has been divinely 
aided, but so far man has done man’s part. He has also 
tried to believe, and God’s help has made faith possible. 
Beyond this is distinctly God’s part in our salvation. It 
is the prerogative of God only to forgive sins and justify 
the repentant sinner. A man may forgive an injury done 
to himself by another, but God alone can forgive the sin. 
The sinner has now come to God to complete the work 


A tenement—Benefits 


189 


already begun in the heart, and God accepts and forgives. 
This act of God in pardoning the sinner, and relieving 
him from the consequences of his sins, the penalties of the 
divine law, is called Justification. This is a theological 
term to express the divine act. “By his knowledge shall 
my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their 
iniquities.” Isa. 53:11. “Through this man is preached 
unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that be¬ 
lieve are justified from all things, from which ye could not 
be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13: 38, 39. It 
is clear from the Scriptures that this Justification is an act 
of pardon, a remittance of the penalty of the law. 

There are two conditions of Justification: first, govern¬ 
mental on the part of God. This is met in the atone¬ 
ment. Because Christ has died for men, those who be¬ 
lieve on his name are forgiven. Second, personal on 
the part of the sinner. He must repent of his sins, and 
believe in Christ. When these terms are met a soul is 
justified. 

REGENERATION 

By Regeneration we mean that when a sinner has re¬ 
pented and received forgiveness God changes his spiritual 
nature, so that he is a new creature, as much so as though 
he were a new man. The love of sin is changed to a love 
of righteousness. The things he once loved in sin, he now 
hates; and the things he once hated, he now loves. To 
him this is a new world, a new spiritual life. Jesus said, 
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom 
of God.” John 3: 3. “Being born again, not of corrupt- 


190 


Christian Doctrines 


ible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which 
liveth and abideth forever.” 1 Peter 1:23. “Therefore 
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things 
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 
2 Cor. 6:17. This is the change wrought by regener¬ 
ation, a complete transformation of our spiritual nature, 
caused by the Holy Spirit. It must always be understood 
that the sinner must be willing, must already be approach¬ 
ing God in the use of all the means in his power, repent¬ 
ance and faith, then God forgives his sins, and regenerates 
his soul. True, there is the antecedent influence of the 
Holy Spirit which first awakens the sinner so he sees the 
need of salvation and then assists every motion of the 
soul in his approach to God. 

This change is instantaneous and complete. When a 
man ceases to be a sinner he becomes a Christian. Some 
are made conscious of the change when it occurs by the 
powerful operation of the Holy Spirit, but all do not have 
this great joy at the time of the change. It is so gradual 
with some that they do not realize the exact time when the 
change actually occurred, still they know there has been 
a change. Their experience has been like the breaking 
of the twilight into the splendors of the day. 

There can be no partial turning to God. The entire 
man must be renewed. It must be a complete work. 
God will have the entire man or nothing. Our love to 
God cannot be divided. We cannot love God and allow 
the world to claim a large share of our love. A wife must 
feel that she has the love of her husband, and that no 


A tonemenl—Benefits 


191 

other woman claims it. She has that right. God says, 
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The love 
of God must be the supreme love of the soul. 

ASSURANCE 

Immediately following regeneration is the witness of 
the Holy Spirit, termed assurance. This relation of the 
Spirit to the regenerate soul is abundantly taught in the 
Scriptures. Paul says, “As many as are led by the Spirit 
of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not re¬ 
ceived the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have 
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, 
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, 
that we are Children of God.” Rom. 8: 14-18. The 
fact that we are children of God is plainly impressed 
on our soul by the Holy Spirit—is made a fact of our con¬ 
sciousness, which is the highest certainty. “Because 
ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son 
into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Gal. 4:6. 
“Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are 
sealed unto the day of redemption.” Eph. 4:30. “Know 
ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit 
of God dwelleth in you?” 

The indwelling Spirit is not given as the special privi¬ 
lege of a few favored Christians, but it is an experience 
belonging to all Christians. “But ye are not in the 
flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God 
dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of 
Christ, he is none of his.” Rom. 8: 9. The Holy Spirit 


192 


Christian Doctrines 


in you is a proof to you that you are a Christian, or 
its absence is also a certain proof that you are not a Chris¬ 
tian; so we must conclude that all true Christians have 
the witness of the Spirit. “Know ye not your own selves, 
how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be repro¬ 
bates.” 2 Cor. 13: 5. If the Holy Spirit is not in you, 
you are reprobates. All believers can therefore claim 
as their right the witness of the Spirit that they are the 
children of God. 

SANCTIFICATION 

Sanctification is the act of being set apart from secular 
to sacred uses. In the believer it is the consecration of 
himself, his time and possessions to his divine Master. 
It is more, for it is a state of grace, beginning with re¬ 
generation and including the growth and establishment 
of the believer in the love and graces of Christian character. 
The new convert is a babe in Christ, weak, vacillating and 
greatly needing help and instruction. He falls down and, 
like the little child, must get up again. The mature 
Christian may be compared to the full grown man who is 
strong, able to stand, ceases to vacillate, and is settled 
in his convictions and character. “Wherefore leaving 
the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press 
on unto perfection.” Heb. 6: 1. The thought seems to 
be that we are to advance from the first experience and 
lessons of the Gospel until we become mature and es¬ 
tablished. Absolute perfection is not attainable by men 
in this or in any other world. God alone is absolutely 
perfect. Perfection, as applied to Christian character, 


A tonement—Benefits 


193 


must be understood in a comparative sense, to distinguish 
between the beginner and the mature, well established 
Christian. All Christians are partially sanctified at the 
time of conversion, and from that they are to go on to¬ 
wards perfection, or maturity of character. Paul says, 
“And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and 
may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, 
without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 
1 Thess. 5: 23. Christian perfection, or entire sanctifi¬ 
cation in this life is a mature, well established Christian 
character, compared to the vacillating and unstable babes 
in Christ. With this view, which is in harmony with the 
Scriptures, we have no controversy, but most affection¬ 
ately exhort all Christians to “grow in grace, and in the 
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;” for 
God has sent his Christian workers to you in the churches 
“for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of minis¬ 
tering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: till we 
all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge 
of the Son of God, unto a full grown man, unto the meas¬ 
ure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” Eph. 4:12,13. 
In all our churches there are a few who are the solid and 
reliable ones, who can be counted on for any duty or sac¬ 
rifice which God requires. The world and the church be¬ 
lieves in them. Then in the same churches are the babes, 
often not young converts, the weak and vacillating ones. 

Let us now trace the steps of the young Christian as he 
advances in this new experience. What does he have to 
start the Christian life? 


194 


Christian Doctrines 


1. He has given himself to Christ without reserve and 
has been accepted. From time to time he may have 
fallen under temptation, but he has fled back to Christ 
for forgiveness. 

2. He is forgiven or justified as God has promised. 

3. God has given him the Holy Spirit to dwell within, 
to witness his acceptance, comfort and assist in Christian 
growth. 

4. He has faith. This he had in coming to Christ, 
and this faith with ever increasing power must be with 
him to the end. He is weak and knows but little of the 
Christian life, but the grace of God, like the love of a 
parent, gives especial help to the babes in Christ, until 
they can stand alone and become established. 

What is the young Christian lacking and what will 
sanctification do for him? 

1. He is lacking a high degree of religious and spiritual 
knowledge because of his limited understanding of the 
Gospel. Having only begun to appreciate its treasures, 
he does not yet know its height and depth. 

2. He is wanting in experience—does not realize his 
own weakness, the snares of the devil and the power of 
the world, nor does he know how ready Christ is to rescue 
and shield him when in danger. 

3. He does not realize to any great extent the joy of 
unselfishness and spiritual aspiration, for a life of sin has 
caused a perversion of feelings and worldly desires. 
From these he must be delivered that his inclinations 
may be toward God. 


Atonement—Benefits 


195 


4. Strength and purity of purpose are undeveloped. 
Bad habits, which he sees in his fellow Christians, are 
not wholly overcome, yet he must be delivered from these 
if he would advance in Christian life. The old habits of 
thought, feeling and action—relics of a worldly life and 
its perverted maxims—must be put away. The disci¬ 
pline yet to be gained and the instruction to be received 
will show him the folly of such things and he will drop 
them. 

5. With the law of love, the opposite of the law of 
selfishness, he has only a slight acquaintance. It will 
take time to adjust himself to new conditions and there 
may be many battles with selfishness before it may be 
overcome, but all young Christians, with the help of God, 
may master the difficulties and, with sympathy and love 
in their hearts, take their places in this new life. 

6. The existence of a high or manly state of efficiency 
and spiritual power is lacking, without which he cannot 
readily perform Christian work, nor grasp the truth and 
promises of God. 

These deficiencies cause a general spiritual weakness 
and a tendency to fall through temptation into sin; there¬ 
fore, it is not only desirable to overcome this weakness, 
but it is necessary for the attainment of stability and the 
development of a noble Christian character. Now all 
this growth and advancement from the weakness and in¬ 
efficiency of our early Christian life, toward the maturity 
of a well rounded and reliable Christian character is com¬ 
prehended in the work of Sanctification. 


196 


Christian Doctrines 


It is true that the Scriptures distinguish between the 
babes in Christ, including all weak and unstable Chris¬ 
tians, and the mature and well established Christians, 
variously called holy, perfect, etc. To be safe, we must 
stay close to what the Word of God does teach us. Both 
the Scriptures and our experience teach that there is no 
limitation to our growth or Sanctification in this life. 

“Go on unto perfection. ” How? By “patient con¬ 
tinuance in well doing;” through faith and obedience. 
Faith and obedience were necessary when we entered the 
Christian life, and they will be necessary every step of 
the way as we “grow in grace and in the knowledge of 
our Lord Jesus Christ,” until we enter the eternal city. 
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves in your most 
holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in 
the love of God.” Jude 20, 21. Such will continue to 
grow stronger. This growth will not always be uniform; 
for special occasions and for special work there will be at 
times great outpouring of the Spirit, attended with much 
advancement in the cultivation of the Christian virtues. 
All who are faithful to duty and have strong faith in God 
will advance. Mighty faith and prayer will secure mighty 
results in growth and efficiency. “Blessed are they which 
do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall 
be filled.” But the desire for righteousness must be great 
to claim the blessing. 

It is not best to preach that sin is a necessity of our 
nature, an essential part of our Christian life. Sin is al¬ 
ways and everywhere inexcusable. Christians do some- 


A tonement—Benefits 


197 


times lapse in sin, but it is their fault. Some have thought 
that sin necessarily attaches to all they do, and so they 
have quietly led a life of falls and bruises, with but little 
of satisfactory Christian experience. They must break 
away from this, and rise to the dignity of a true and noble 
Christian life. “Let not sin therefore reign in your 
mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof. . . . 
For sin shall not havedominion over you.” Rom. 6:12,14. 

Attain to perfect love. This you can do. Not the 
perfection or degree of love enjoyed by an angel, but ac¬ 
cording to your capacity. Jesus said, “Thou shalt love 
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 
and with all thy mind.” Matt. 22: 37. We are to love 
God with all our faculties, have an intelligent under¬ 
standing of this duty, and then bring our soul in perfect 
submission to this controlling love. Love is the greatest 
moral force in the universe. It moved the Son of God to 
die for the world. It has moved multitudes of holy men 
and women to die for Christ. By its power the Saviour is 
conquering the forces of evil, is drawing the world to him, 
is raising the standards of purity and excellence, and by 
ruling the hearts of men he is going on to universal do¬ 
minion. “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, 
And from the river unto the ends of the earth.” Psa. 
72: 8. 

GLORIFICATION 

To glorify or make honorable is the high state of blessed¬ 
ness to which Christians will be exalted at the resurrection. 
Here we may live in a state of humiliation, but in heaven 


198 


Christian Doctrines 


we shall be raised to one of exaltation and honor surpass¬ 
ing our highest thoughts. If we can form any idea of the 
sufferings and humiliation of Christ, and of his exaltation 
and Glorification as he returned to his throne in the heav¬ 
ens, we can form an opinion of what is meant by the Glori¬ 
fication of his saints. We are to enter into his glory. 
Paul says, “If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be 
also glorified with him.” Rom. 8: 17. Paul, in describ¬ 
ing the steps in our salvation, Rom. 8: 29, 30, says God 
called, justified and then glorified. This term Glorifica¬ 
tion must be made to mean all that heaven is of inestimable 
glory to the saved: its freedom from every influence which 
could detract from our felicity, its absolute security in the 
possession of its honors and blessings, its satisfaction of 
sharing with others whom we love as ourselves its joy and 
glory, and also as sharing with the Son of man in his 
eternal glory. See the chapter on heaven. 


CHAPTER XV 


immortality —Nature and Reason 

Man, as a moral being, must owe duties to God and be 
under obligation to obey him. This constitutes him a 
religious being, but religion, to have binding force, must 
hold to a future life. Religion requires restraint, control, 
discipline and sacrifice to form character which, if re¬ 
warded fully, must receive it in a future state. Unbelief 
in a future existence would lead to the cultivation of self¬ 
ishness, and the exclusion of the noble virtues. 

There exists among all men a belief in immortality. 
Some speculative theorists have denied this truth, but it 
has probably been their theory more than their honest 
conviction. To what extent heathen nations have been 
influenced by this traditional belief, which has always 
been in the world, held by holy men who received it 
from the patriarchs, we cannot tell. But when once re¬ 
ceived it has been retained as something which the human 
mind is slow to relinquish. 

One of the metaphysical arguments is thus stated: 
“Whatever exists will continue to exist, unless some cause 
or force appears which tends to destroy it. The soul 
exists, and the only thing, to outward appearance, that 
threatens its continued existence is death. But death, 
so far as we can ascertain, operates only to dissolve the 
material organism; the mind being immaterial does not 
199 


200 


Christian Doctrines 


fall under its power. Proof of this immateriality of the 
soul is involved in the first elements of our knowledge; 
in the different attributes of matter and mind as revealed 
in perception. We have, as given in consciousness, the 
perceiver, the subject, the me; and the thing perceived, 
the object, the not me. The materialistic philosophy 
is a pure assumption, setting aside this primary fact of 
consciousness. 

“Death, therefore, acting on the material organism, 
affords no presumption of the dissolution of the spiritual 
essence which thinks and feels. The presumption of 
the continued existence of the soul must still stand. Be¬ 
yond this the metaphysical argument cannot carry us.”— 
Fairchild. 

The fact that man is under a moral constitution fur¬ 
nishes strong proof of the continued existence of his 
spiritual nature. His moral nature brings him under the 
law of obligation to do what is right and just, and that, too, 
when it requires the sacrifice of ease, comfort, and even 
life itself in some instances. If necessary, life must be 
sacrificed to duty. Nothing less will satisfy the con¬ 
science of the good man. Under the wise administration 
of the Divine government nothing can be lost by all this 
sacrifice, suffering, or even death, but 

“ Heaven’s eternal years shall pay, 

For all his people suffer here.” 

A just and holy God will not require or permit man to 
suffer losses in consequence of his righteous character and 


Immortality—Nature and Reason 201 

obedience to the divine law. But this life does not fur¬ 
nish an ample reward; in some cases the most deserving 
and useful men are the objects of bitter persecution up to 
the close of life, a strong reason for belief in a future state, 
when all wrongs suffered will be redressed, and right¬ 
eous conduct will be fully rewarded. 

The desire in all persons, if in a normal condition, for 
existence after death is a strong presumption that God 
implanted it. How else could it be universal? 

In our intellectual capacity there is continued progress 
in acquiring knowledge and in the development of our 
mental powers, especially among students who continue 
the habit of close application. In some cases where 
eminent scholars have held their chairs in college, or 
ministers have held their pulpits till very late in life, even 
after great physical decline, the mind has retained its 
vigor and clearness. There is good reason for the belief, 
if in a perfectly healthy body, that the mind will continue 
to progress through life by adopting and continuing 
studious habits. It is not so with the physical constitu¬ 
tion, for its decline with old age is inevitable. Some may 
object that mental decline is common to old age, but if 
the student is in good health, his decline is from neglect 
of mental application. Most men seek their ease as old 
age comes on, which always means rapid decline, both 
mentally and physically; but the fact that a few, who have 
closely pursued their studies, have retained their mental 
powers unimpared, proves its possibility, which is a strong 
reason for the belief that a mind capable of such expan- 


202 


Christian Doctrines 


sion up to the end of life here will live after death. If 
man were made only for this life, he would, like the ani¬ 
mals, reach the highest limit of his being and realize 
the full object of his existence here. As it is, he seems 
to only begin plans for mental and spiritual improve¬ 
ment which must contemplate a future existence for ac¬ 
complishment. When we consider that every faculty 
of the mind is thus affected by what it has acquired of 
knowledge, culture, and ever increasing fitness for future 
and greater achievements, we are forced to the conclusion 
that the soul of man, possessed of such capabilities, will 
pass into a state at death in which its improvement will 
continue through limitless duration. 

The distinction between human affections and those 
of animals proves a different destiny. Parental affection 
in brutes has served its purpose when the young are 
raised, then it wanes. In man these natural affections 
increase with the years, often being the strongest at death. 
Then undying friendships spring up between individuals 
because of certain noble qualities of spirit, and noble deeds. 

“ Death may the bands of life unloose, 

But can’t dissolve our love.” 

Love is eternal. In that thought we find a solace in 
the presence of death, and the hope of a future reunion 
alone can satisfy us. 

Human character of the best type is the result of a life 
of culture and discipline. If death ends all, what motive 
can exist for the self-control, patient struggle, and en- 


Immortality—Nature and Reason 203 

durance necessary for the formation of such a character? 
Were it not for the hope of a future life, there would not 
exist in all the world an example of a well ordered life, 
and a noble character. Can any one entertain the thought 
that a life so full of labor, patient training, self-restraint, 
careful character building with all its completeness and 
value is to be thrown away at death? Obviously there 
can be no justification for such a life, except in the hope 
of a hereafter. 

The unequal distribution of rewards and punishments 
in this life can only find an explanation in the expectation 
of a future existence. While it is undoubtedly true that 
the condition of the good as a whole in a Christian coun¬ 
try is very much better than that of the vicious in this 
present life; yet it is also certain that many of the most 
excellent of the earth suffer great privation and want, 
and some of the best, “of whom the world was not 
worthy,” have endured great persecution because of their 
efforts for the good of mankind. On the other hand, vile 
men are often promoted to places of honor, enjoy ease 
and the luxuries of life, and at last die with their hearts 
caloused, and with but little, if any, concern for the retri¬ 
bution of eternity. There can be no such thing, then, as 
just administration of the moral government of God, 
except on the supposition that in a future state there will 
be a perfect adjustment of the inequalities of this life. 

Upon such evidence as this mankind has embraced the 
belief in a future life, and has among all nations adhered 
to that faith, even though obscured by the darkness of 


204 


Christian Doctrines 


paganism. But to us, who possess revelation, is the in¬ 
estimable privilege of turning to it for the most conclusive 
proofs of a future state. Paul says, “Our Saviour Jesus 
Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life 
and immortality to light through the gospel,” 2 Tim. 
1:10. What can only be seen dimly by the light of reason, 
has been stripped of all obscurity and thrown out as clear 
as the light by the revelation of Jesus Christ. The 
Scriptures alone must furnish the clear and incontestable 
evidence on which our faith must rest. It is interesting 
to find that reason is in harmony with and supports 
revelation, as we have shown, but it is a pleasure to now 
turn to God’s Word, and learn from him who holds the 
future in his hands and knows its issues. 

immortality— Revelation 

While in the Old Testament the doctrine of Immortal¬ 
ity is not as clearly stated as in the New Testament, yet it 
is plainly taught there. God’s dealings with his ancient 
people was a constant reminder of his presence and his 
providence over them. Holy men, as revealed in the Old 
Testament, lived and talked as though they adhered to a 
belief in a future existence. Paul in his epistle to the 
Hebrews thus states: “By faith Moses, when he was come 
to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 
choosing rather to suffer aflBction with the people of God, 
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming 
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in 
Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense of the re- 


Immortality—Nature and Reason 205 

ward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath 
of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” 
Heb. 11:24-27. In this chapter the apostle describes 
many of the eminent characters of the Old Testament, 
and closes by saying, “These all died in faith, not having 
received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and 
were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and con¬ 
fessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the 
earth. For they that say such things declare plainly 
that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been 
mindful of that country from whence they came out, they 
might have had opportunity to have returned. But now 
they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: where¬ 
fore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he 
hath prepared for them a city.” Heb. n: 13-16. 

Many positive declarations are made in the Old Testa¬ 
ment regarding the future life. “Enoch walked with 
God and was not because God took him.” Gen. 5: 24. 
The translation of Enoch was well known to the Hebrews. 
The expression in common use, such as, “went to his 
fathers;” “gathered to his people,” do not refer to burial, 
but to the fact of joining in eternity those who have 
gone on before. Balaam says, “Let me die the death of 
the righteous, and let my last end (my hereafter, my final 
destiny,) be like his.” Num. 23: 10. “Though he slay 
me, yet will I trust in him.” Job. 13: 15. David says 
of his child, “But now he is dead, wherefore should I 
fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, 
but he shall not return to me.” 2 Sam. 12: 23. The 


206 


Christian Doctrines 


Psalmist says, “Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, and 
afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven 
but thee? And there is none upon the earth that I desire 
besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God 
is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” 
Psa. 73: 24-26. “The Lord knoweth the days of the up¬ 
right : and their inheritance shall be forever.” Psa. 37:18. 
“The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the 
righteous hath hope in his death.” Prov. 14: 32. “Then 
shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit 
shall return unto God who gave it.” Eccl. 12: 7. “Thy 
dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall 
they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust.” 
Isa. 26: 19. “And many of them that sleep in the dust 
of the earth shall awake,some to everlasting life, and some 
to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be 
wise shall shine as the brightness of the -firmament; and 
they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever 
and ever.” Dan. 12: 2, 3. These passages serve to show 
the faith in this doctrine held by the Old Testament 
writers. When Christ came it was the prevalent belief 
among the Jews. The Pharisees represented this tra¬ 
ditional belief; and it was the faith of the common people. 

This doctrine is so clearly taught in the New Testa¬ 
ment, is so unequivocal and unquestioned, that it is only 
necessary to instance a few from the great multitude of 
passages on the subject: “These shall go away into eternal 
punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matt. 
25:46. “But he shall receive an hundredfold now in 


Immortality—Nature and Reason 207 

this time, houses and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, 
and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the 
world to come eternal life.” Mark 10:30. Jesus said, 
“And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not 
read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake 
unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God 
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of 
the dead, but the God of the living.” Mark 12: 26, 27. 
“He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 
6:47. “To them who by patient continuance in well 
doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal 
life,” Rom. 2: 7. “The gift of God is eternal life through 
Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6: 23. “Godliness is 
profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life 
that now is, and of that which is to come.” 1 Tim. 
4:8. “Enoch was translated that he should not see 
death: and was not found, because God had translated 
him.” Heb. il: 5. “And there shall be no night there; 
and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the 
Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever 
and ever.” Rev. 22: 5. 

Earth is the place of our brief stay, our training school 
for the great hereafter. We are pilgrims on the earth. 
Death is but the doorway from this to the higher life. 
This subject, the Immortality of the Soul, will be contin¬ 
ued in the following chapters entitled: Resurrection of 
Christ, General Resurrection, Final Judgment, Eternal 
Death, and Eternal Life. 


CHAPTER XVI 


easter —A Prelude 

On Easter Sabbath we celebrate the resurrection of 
Christ. It is the Christian passover and festival of that 
event. To determine the time we select the first Sab¬ 
bath after the full moon, which occurs upon or next after 
March 21. By this rule Easter may come as early as 
March 22, or as late as April 25. This festival has been 
termed “The Queen of Festivals,” and from the beginning 
has been celebrated with great solemnity and devotion. 
It has also been considered a fit time for the distribution 
of gifts and especially has the giving of colored eggs been 
kept up. 

The word Easter is of Saxon origin, ana imports a 
goddess of the Saxons, Estori, in honor of which sacri¬ 
fices were offered in the spring about this time. By asso¬ 
ciation of ideas the name became attached to this Chris¬ 
tian festival. 

Easter was formerly celebrated with great joy. At the 
time of the cock-crowing the vigils, or watchers, broke 
the stillness of the night by the acclamation, “The Lord 
is risen! The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!” 
and the day was observed with every demonstration of 
joy. The Lord’s Supper was received, baptism was ad¬ 
ministered, prisoners were liberated, slaves were set free, 
208 


Easter—A Prelude 


209 


charity was dispensed to the needy, and courts of justice 
were closed. 

Certainly no event in the history of Christianity has 
more significance than the resurrection of our Lord. It 
broke the terrible suspense which had buried the last 
hope of the disciples, it shattered the shackles of death by 
the power of omnipotence, and the rocks were riven by 
the shock. Forever these questions were settled: that 
Christ laid down his own life and took it up again; that 
there was no limit to his power; and that in the fullness of 
time he would gather from the seas and every land their 
sleeping millions and marshal them before the “great 
white throne. ,, 


CHRIST’S RESURRECTION 


To establish the fact of Christ’s resurrection, is to 
prove the possibility of our own; and his promises and 
almighty power assure us of its certainty. Paul says, 
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even 
so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with 
him.” iThess. 4:14. 

The reality of Christ’s death is fully and circumstan¬ 
tially stated. It is not supposable that the Jews, who 
were responsible for the crucifixion, would have been 
satisfied with anything less than absolute evidence of this 
fact. The execution being public, all had an opportunity 
to see it. Both the enemies and friends of Jesus were 
there, one company filled with implacable hatred, and 
exulting in their malicious success; the other timid, 
hoping that he might come down from the cross. 
But the disciples at last abandoned all hope. Christ 
died before the evening, but to make sure of it a soldier 
pierced his side with a spear. No doubt he struck the 
heart, which accounts for the flow of water and blood. 
There are well authenticated cases of water being found 
around the hearts of persons who have died in great 
mental agony. When Joseph of Arimathea asked for 
the body of Jesus for burial, Pilate would not deliver it 
until he inquired of the officer in charge of the execution 
if Jesus were already dead. When assured that he was, 
210 


Christ's Resurrection 


211 


Joseph was permitted to take the body and place it in 
his family tomb. The Jews took the precaution to have 
Pilate secure the tomb and station a watch, composed of 
Roman soldiers, to guard it. A heavy stone was placed 
at the entrance of the sepulcher and sealed. The penalty 
for breaking that seal was whatever the governor might 
choose to inflict. In this case, the death of the offender 
probably would have been demanded by the Jews, and 
acceded to by Pilate. With such precaution nothing but 
the power of God could interfere. 

Both the Jews and Christ’s disciples agree that the 
body of Jesus was missing from the tomb after the morn¬ 
ing of the third day. Let us see how each party accounts 
for it: 

When the guard returned to Jerusalem after the resur¬ 
rection, and stated circumstantially what had transpired 
at the tomb, the greatest consternation was felt by 
the Jewish council. The guard felt the earthquake, saw 
the angel, and fell like dead men. When they recovered 
consciousness they saw that the body of Jesus was miss¬ 
ing, but could not account for it. This last fact doubt¬ 
less suggested to the council the falsehood which they 
put in the mouth of the guard, i.e.: “His disciples came 
by night and stole him away while we slept.” The pen¬ 
alty for a Roman soldier to sleep when on guard was 
death. It is not conceivable that the guard would cir¬ 
culate such a report under the circumstances without a 
large bribe from the council; also a promise of immunity 
from punishment. The fact that the guard did circulate 


212 


Christian Doctrines 


the report, and yet escaped punishment, is another strong 
presumption of corruption. There is no account of the 
Jewish council finding any fault with them. Now it is 
plain to all intelligent people that, if the guard had slept 
while on duty, this Jewish council would have been clam¬ 
orous for the execution of every one of them. 

This report for absurd foolishness is without a parallel. 
There were only a few timid and scattered disciples, 
while the tomb was guarded by a band of Roman soldiers. 
The disciples dared not attempt it, nor was tnere the least 
possibility of success. That they would attempt to break 
the seal, roll away the stone and steal the body, when the 
noise would have certainly awakened the guard, it is im¬ 
possible to conjecture. Either the guard was awake or 
asleep. If awake, why did they allow a few peasants and 
women to take the body? if they were asleep, as reported, 
how did they know who took the body, or what became 
of it? Sleeping witnesses! It hardly seems credible that 
a body of men having the intelligence of the Sanhedrim, 
or council of the Jewish nation, would be responsible 
for the circulation of a report which so clearly carries with 
it its own refutation. Nothing but their desperation could 
have led them to do it. While the rabble took up the 
report, there is no account of the Jewish rulers ever 
alluding to it afterward; though on several occasions the 
disciples were brought before them for preaching the res¬ 
urrection, and Gospel of Jesus. 

The account given by the disciples is in every particu¬ 
lar reasonable, harmonizing with all the circumstances 


Christ's Resurrection 


213 


attending Christ’s resurrection, the prophecies made 
regarding it, and the miraculous attestations at the time 
he rose and subsequent thereto. 

Nothing but miraculous power could disturb the body 
of Jesus, but when God stretches out his hand, or sends 
his angels, armies of men are helpless. On the morning 
of the third day, Matthew says, “And, behold there was a 
great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended 
from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from 
the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like 
lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear 
of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.” 
Matt. 28:2-4. The guard was probably unconscious, 
and did not witness the notable event which followed. 
Then Christ rose from the tomb, as the angel said to the 
women, who had come very early to anoint the body of 
Jesus, “He is not here; for he is risen as he said.” As the 
women were returning, “some of the watch came into the 
city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that 
were done. And when they were assembled with the 
elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto 
the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, 
and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to 
the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure 
you. So they took the money, and did as they were 
taught.” Matt. 28: n-15. This statement of Matthew 
carries with it the evidence of its truthfulness, for a great 
earthquake must have been known to the people of Jeru¬ 
salem, and none have disputed this report, and then the 


214 


Christian Doctrines 


story of the guard sleeping on duty could not have been 
circulated in the city without causing the arrest and 
punishment of its members, unless the council had inter¬ 
ested itself in their behalf, which it would not have done 
if the guard had neglected its duty. 

The disciples were exceedingly incredulous regarding 
the resurrection of Jesus, and nothing but their own 
personal knowledge could satisfy them. The whole story 
is one of eager hearts who lovingly hope that the reports 
of Christ’s resurrection may be true, yet amid their joy 
they are slow to believe, making any deception impossible. 
How were they convinced? 

Early in the morning of the third day after the cruci¬ 
fixion, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to em¬ 
balm the body of Jesus. On the way they said, “Who 
shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?” 
Looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back: “for 
it was exceeding great.” Entering the tomb they saw the 
angel, were frightened, and would have turned away, but 
for his assuring words, “Fear not, for I know that ye seek 
Jesus which was crucified. He is not here; for he has 
risen as he said.” Then when invited, they viewed the 
sepulcher, and the linen clothes lying there. And the 
angel said, “Go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is 
risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you 
into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.” 
They were returning to the city, when Mary Magdalene 
turned back, so anxious was she to find the body of Jesus. 
As she stood at the tomb weeping, greatly perplexed with 


Christ's Resurrection 


215 


doubts, two angels appeared to her and said, “Woman, 
why weepest thou?” Turning about she saw Jesus, but 
did not recognize him, when he justly reproved her in the 
same language of the angel. Then supposing him to be 
the gardener, she said she was willing to take care of the 
body of Jesus if it troubled him. Then Jesus said, 
“Mary,” in his usual tone of voice, and she knew him and 
exclaimed, “Master!” This was the first appearance 
after his resurrection. Mark says, “He appeared first 
to Mary Magdalene. . . . And she went and told them 
that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.” 
Mark 16:9, 10. Luke tells us that there were other 
women besides the two Marys who came to embalm the 
body of Jesus. After hearing the news from the angel 
they hastened to the city, except Mary Magdalene, who 
had returned and met Jesus. It is said, “They departed 
quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and 
did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to 
tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail! 
and they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped 
him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell 
my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall 
they see me.” Following the instructions they go and tell 
the eleven disciples, and to all the rest. “Their words 
seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them 
not.” 

Still, to make sure, Peter and John, after hearing the 
statements of the women, ran to the tomb to see if it were 
so. John wept at the entrance, while Peter went in and 


2l6 


Christian Doctrines 


examined the linen clothes and the place where Jesus 
had lain. They did not yet understand the Scripture, 
that he must rise from the dead, so they went to their own 
home in the city. Peter met Jesus probably on his way 
home. In Luke 24: 34 is this statement, “The Lord is 
risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.” Again in 
1 Cor. 15: 5 Paul says, “That he was seen by Cephas.” 
Peter, who had denied his Lord at the trial of Jesus, was 
feeling broken-hearted over it, and he needed especially 
this comforting assurance of the Saviour’s love. 

After these reports of the women, and their confirma¬ 
tion by Peter and John, to be fully certain, the disciples 
sent others of their number to examine into the matter, and 
they found it even as the women had said. 

Two disciples after hearing the reports started on a 
journey to Emmaus. While conversing about the strange 
things of the morning, Jesus joined them, and asked about 
their conversation and why they were sad. They told 
him of their former hopes that Jesus should restore Israel, 
and of their disappointment. Then they narrated to him 
the strange reports of the morning, not knowing that they 
were talking to Jesus. Then he upbraided them: “O 
foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the 
prophets have spoken!” He expounded to them the 
Scriptures regarding the sufferings of Christ, and the 
glory which should follow. They constrained him to 
stop with them at the end of the journey, when he was 
made known to them in the breaking of bread. Then he 
vanished out of their sight. Then they exclaimed, “Did 


Christ's Resurrection 


217 


not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by 
the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 

Punchon says: 

“ When quiet ones in thoughtful moments stray, 

He lingers by their side, 

Flings a rare charm on their Emmaus way, 

And loves to bide.’ 

Though the two disciples were weary, and had turned 
in for the night, yet they immediately returned to Jerusa¬ 
lem, and found the eleven and many others met together. 
They related their experience, how they journeyed with 
Jesus, and how he was made known to them in the break¬ 
ing of the bread. “Neither believed they them.” 

Through shut doors the Saviour suddenly appeared in 
the assembly of the disciples as they sat at meat. They 
were affrighted, supposing him to be a spirit, but he said, 
“Peace be unto you.” Still, though joyous at his coming, 
they were slow to believe, when Jesus said, “Why are ye 
troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.” Yet 
it is said “They believed not for joy.” He called for 
meat and ate it before them to convince them that he was 
not a spirit, when he said, “A spirit hath not flesh and 
bones as ye see me have.” 

Thomas was absent from the last meeting, and he not 
only lost its charm and blessing, but for eight days he 
struggled with a terrible doubt. When told what had 
happened he said, “Except I shall see in his hands the 
print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the 


2 l8 


Christian Doctrines 


nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.’ 1 
Eight days passed, the disciples again met, and Thomas 
was with them. Then came Jesus in their midst, through 
shut doors, and said, “Peace be unto you.” Turning to 
Thomas he said, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold 
my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into 
my side: and be not faithless but believing.” # Thomas 
exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” For all future 
ages the Saviour said, “Thomas, because thou hast seen 
me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not 
seen, and yet have believed.” 

From the statement of Jesus that he appeared before 
them in flesh and bones, and that he showed them the 
print of the nails in his hands, and the mark of the spear 
in his side, it is certain that Christ’s physical body rose 
from the tomb, and so appeared to his disciples and 
Thomas. At what time Christ’s natural body was 
changed to a spiritual body is not stated, but it must have 
occurred at some time before his ascension into heaven. 
See i Cor. 15:44, 50-52. 

All the disciples w r ere slow to believe. Mark says they 
did not believe the story of the women who had seen the 
Lord, nor did they believe the report of the disciples who 
had seen him. Thomas was probably no harder to con¬ 
vince than the other disciples. 

Thus was the fact of our Saviour’s resurrection estab¬ 
lished, in the face of the transparent falsehood of the 
Jewish council and the incredulity of the disciples. It 
may be well for succeeding times that the friends of Jesus 


Christ's Resurrection 


219 


were slow to believe, for had they been over credulous, 
there might have been some fears of complicity, but their 
unbelief made this impossible. The world is furnished 
incontestable evidence of Christ’s resurrection, given in 
such a way that the most stubborn doubts are forced to 
yield. Nothing but absolute knowledge would satisfy 
his disciples, and this Jesus gave, not for their sakes alone, 
but for ours also. Through a period of forty days he 
frequently was among them, appearing to one and another, 
to one assembly and another, to more than five hundred 
at one time, until they again became familiar with him. 
As the hour of his departure drew near, he led them out 
as far as Bethany, delivered his last charge, “and he 
lifted up his hands and blessed them.” Ascending, he 
was parted from them; a cloud received him out of their 
sight, while a triumphal envoy of angels attended him on 
his return to his throne in the heavens. 


CHAPTER XVII 


RESURRECTION 

The term Resurrection has reference to that state 
when, after the separation of the soul and body at death, 
and the return of the body to dust, it will rise from the 
dead, a spiritual, immaterial body, not subject to decay 
nor to any of the frailties of the former body, and will 
again be united to the soul. Paul says, “It is sown a 
natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” i Cor. 
15: 44. The apostle does not say that the gross material 
substance which now composes the body will be raised, 
but rather the contrary. Still there is such a relation to 
the natural body that it is proper to call it a resurrection. 
“But some will say, How are the dead raised up? and 
with what body do they come?”—35. Reason and reve¬ 
lation both teach that the same atoms do not and are 
not necessary to constitute the same body before and 
after the resurrection. All the atoms which have formed 
the body during our earthly existence would be suffi¬ 
cient to form many bodies, for the substance of our 
bodies is undergoing a constant change, so that only a 
few years are required to entirely change the matter of 
which the body is composed, yet we affirm that it is the 
same body. The apostle settles this question by saying 
that, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of 
220 


Resurrection 


221 


God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”—50. 
Thus the resurrected body cannot be flesh and blood. 
The fact that those who are alive at the time of the resur¬ 
rection must undergo a change, is proof that the material 
body cannot enter heaven.—52. 

The resurrected body will be the same in a sense or 
appear as the same person. As our bodies here are the 
means by which we recognize each other, so in the future 
life the resurrected body will be a means of more perfect 
recognition, felicity and usefulness. If this is not be¬ 
lieved to be the case, why the necessity of a resurrection? 
What God does for us, or in us, is to improve our con¬ 
dition. For this reason we must conclude that the change 
from the material body to the spiritual and imperishable 
body will greatly enhance our happiness, capacity and 
security. 

Analogy furnishes a presumption for the resurrection, 
while there is no presumption against it. While Paul 
does not fully explain what the change from a material 
to a spiritual body is, yet he introduces some illustrations 
to prove the possibility. He says, “And that which thou 
sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be, but a bare 
grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other kind; 
but God giveth it a body even as it pleased him, and to 
each seed a body of its own,” 37, 38. The plain teaching 
of this passage is, that the material sown in the grave will 
not rise, but God will give the soul a body as it pleases 
him. The germ theory, taught by some, is too literal a 
construction, for we cannot apply every feature of an 


222 


Christian Doctrines 


illustration. The apostle introduces this to show that 
death must precede the change to the highest form of life. 
Some facts of our observation will confirm this view. The 
vegetable world dies annually and sleeps in the bosom of 
winter, to come forth in the spring clothed with beauty. 
Among insects there is a worm, which stays for a period 
in its humble state. At the time of death it enters a 
shell or tomb. Here it is dissolved into a mass of semi¬ 
transparent water, exhibiting no trace of life. After a 
while the tomb opens, and a winged butterfly appears, 
often exquisitely beautiful, possessed of new and superior 
powers. Its food now is the honey of flowers, and its 
field of flight is the atmosphere. 

But little can be found in the Old Testament teaching 
the doctrine of the resurrection. Jesus says that Moses 
taught it when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob, for he is not the God of the dead but 
the living. Some allusion to it is found in Isa. 26: 19. 
“Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body 
shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust.” 
In Dan. 12: 2, we have an unequivocal statement of this 
truth. He says, “Many of them that sleep in the dust of 
the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some 
to shame and everlasting contempt.” There can be no 
doubt regarding the meaning of this prophecy of Daniel, 
for he says that those who sleep in the dust of the earth 
shall arise. They have returned to dust, but they are to 
come forth out of their graves to receive the final sentence, 
when some will enter on eternal life, a term used to de^ 


Resurrection 


223 


scribe the felicity and duration of existence of the saved. 
Some will go into shame and everlasting contempt, terms 
used to describe the shame felt by the individual, and the 
contempt in which he will be held by others through 
eternity. The term sleep is often employed by the 
writers of the Old and New Testaments to denote death. 
The ancient Jews had but little knowledge of the resur¬ 
rection, but the vision brightens as the prophets came 
near the coming of our Lord. 

Revelation was progressive, taking many hundreds of 
years from the time when Moses wrote to that of the New 
Testament writers. The more full and complete an¬ 
nouncement of this doctrine of the resurrection belongs to 
the New Testament. 

Jesus very conclusively taught the doctrine of the resur¬ 
rection. In his argument with the Sadducees he said, 
“But that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed, in the 
place concerning the Bush, when he calleth the Lord the 
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of 
Jacob. Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the 
living,” Luke 20:37, 38. The Sadducees denied the 
resurrection, and the existence of angels and spirits. 
Jesus here affirms that even Moses taught the resurrection. 
All gross thoughts of the resurrection are eliminated by 
his statement in Matt. 22:30: “For in the resurrection 
they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are 
as the angels of God in heaven.” Jesus said to Martha, 
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on 
me though he die, yet shall he live.” John n: 25. Jesus 


224 


Christian Doctrines 


conquered death, by his own power rose from the dead, 
and by his power all the dead will rise. 

There is to be a general resurrection of all the dead. 
In a controversy with the Jews, Jesus said, “Marvel not 
at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the 
tombs shall hear his voice, and come forth; they that have 
done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that 
have done ill, unto the resurrection of judgment. ,, John 
5: 28, 29. Here Jesus declares that the voice which has 
restored the sick, and raised the dead to life before their 
eyes, will finally be heard by all the dead, and they will 
come forth out of their graves. Paul said in his defence 
before Felix that he believed, as also did the Jews who 
were his accusers, “that there shall be a resurrection both 
of the just and the unjust.” Acts 24: 15. 

The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our 
faith in a general resurrection. This is the way in which 
Paul reasons: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up 
Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up 
Christ Jesus from the dead shall quicken also your mortal 
bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Rom. 
8:11. If we admit Christ’s resurrection, we must go 
farther and conclude that a resurrection being possible, 
God’s promise to us will be fulfilled, that we will rise also. 
In 1 Cor. 15: 12, he also says, “Now if Christ is preached 
that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some 
among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?” 
It is folly to contend that there is no resurrection of the 
dead, and admit at the same time that Christ rose. In 


Resurrection 


225 


i Thess, 4:14, he says, “For if we believe that Jesus 
died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen 
asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” Then if you 
believe that Jesus rose from the dead, you may feel 
assured of your own resurrection. 

Christ’s was the first resurrection proper. Others 
have been restored to life, and to their friends, but they 
all died again. Jesus rose to never die, and in his resur¬ 
rected body ascended into heaven. Paul says in 1 Cor. 
15: 20: “But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, 
the first fruits of them that are asleep.” Immediately 
after Christ’s resurrection many of the saints arose, and 
appeared to many in Jerusalem. Matthew says, “Many 
bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; 
and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection 
they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.” 
Matt. 27: 52, 53. 

The resurrected, immaterial body will differ from the 
natural in many important respects: It will be incorrupt¬ 
ible. 1 Cor. 15:42: “It is sown in corruption, it is raised 
in incorruption.” Decay begins in early life and marks 
all the way to the tomb. In the new body all this will be 
changed, for it will possess imperishable properties. The 
saved “will hunger no more, neither thirst any more; 
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.” Not 
being material they will need neither food nor drink, nor 
can the heat of the sun oppress them. 

It will be immortal. “This mortal must put on im¬ 
mortality.” 53. Here the body is perishable, subject 


226 


Christian Doctrines 


to disease, pain and death; there it will be immortal, 
clothed with beauty and eternal youth. 

The body will be raised in power. “It is sown in weak¬ 
ness; it is raised in power,” 43. This frail body is often 
weary, our task is often left unfinished. I have many 
times felt interested in a task until it was hard to leave it, 
even for food or sleep, but weariness forced me to stop. 
Not so in the resurrected body* When it is raised in 
power, we can serve God forever with faculties which 
will feel no fatigue, and the magnitude of no duty can 
overcome or appall. We will be ‘Tike the angels,” hav¬ 
ing great power and activity. 

It will be raised in glory. “It is sown in dishonor; it 
is raised in glory.” 43. The dishonor is the awful and 
intolerable indignity of dust to dust. How we shudder 
When the clods fall over the once noble form; but it shall 
rise in glory, clothed in robes of light, and endowed with 
qualities suited to the companionship of angels and the 
presence of God. 

It shall be raised a spiritual body. “It is sown a 
natural (or animal) body; it is raised a spiritual body. 
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ” 
44. We know there is a natural body and the use which 
is made of it, undoubtedly a great help to our spirit¬ 
ual nature if rightly employed, but if its energies are per¬ 
verted it becomes a source of temptation. It is just as 
reasonable to expect God to provide a spiritual body 
for the soul in eternity as to provide a natural body for the 
temporary abode of the spirit in this life. 


Resurrection 


227 


Two resurrections are spoken of in Rev. 20: 4, 5, first, 
of the Martyrs: “Them that were beheaded for the wit¬ 
ness of Jesus, and for the word of God. . . . And they 
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The 
rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should 
be finished. This is the first resurrection.’ , Those are 
pronounced “blessed and holy,” who have part in the 
first resurrection. Some have supposed that all the 
righteous will come forth in the first resurrection, but 
these passages do not teach it; they rather indicate a 
special blessing for the martyrs. Paul, in Heb. 11:35, 
says that “others were tortured, not accepting deliver¬ 
ance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.” That 
the martyrs rise first, styled here “a better resurrection,” 
is clearly taught. The only first resurrection which can 
be clearly made out is of the martyrs. How and when 
that will occur cannot positively be determined, but they 
are to rise and reign with Christ a long time before the 
end of the world, styled by John “a thousand years.” 
They may rise quietly and ascend into heaven like the 
saints who rose at the time of Christ’s resurrection; see 
Matt. 27: 52, 53. The saints which rose, mentioned by 
Matthew, were probably Old Testament martyrs. John 
says, “The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand 
years should be finished.” So it is plain that none will 
rise but the martyrs until the thousand years expire. In 
1 Thess. 4: 16. Paul says, “The dead in Christ shall rise 
first.” Taken apart from its connection this would seem 
to teach that all Christians will rise in the first resurrec- 


228 


Christian Doctrines 


tion, but that is not the right way to study the Scriptures. 
Read it in its connection and it has an entirely different 
meaning. This is the entire passage: “For if we believe 
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are 
fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For 
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we 
that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, 
shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. 
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a 
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump 
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we 
that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be 
caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: 
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” i Thess. 4: 14-17. 
The plain meaning is this: When Christ comes at the end 
of the world many Christians will be living on the earth, 
who must undergo a change like the resurrected dead; 
but their change will not occur until after those who have 
fallen asleep in Christ have risen first then altogether they 
will ascend to meet the Lord in the air. There cannot be 
two first resurrections of a general character, one of the 
martyrs, occurring at least one thousand years before the 
end of the world, and another at the end of the world 
when Christ comes, and “the dead in Christ rise first,” or 
before the living are changed. At one time I believed 
that all Christians would come forth from their graves 
in the first resurrection, but a careful examination has 
failed to furnish the proof; and we must be content to be¬ 
lieve that it is the peculiar privilege of the martyrs only. 


Resurrection 


229 


It is certain that all the righteous dead will rise to meet 
Christ when he comes, which is a glorious ground of hope. 
From the importance given to the resurrection of the 
righteous, it may be that at the end of the world, when 
Jesus comes, the dead in Christ will rise to meet the Lord 
in the air before the unrighteous come forth. 

There are some important reflections on this subject 
which should engage pious hearts: 

1. It is plain that this mortal body cannot be the abode 
of our ever expanding and glorified mind. The new body 
must be suited to a sanctified and immortal spirit. Great 
mental efforts easily exhaust our physical nature here, 
but in heaven the spirit will be clothed with a spiritual 
body which will never feel weariness, or fail in any of its 
celestial employments. 

2. The resurrection is a truth of revelation only. Our 
reason could not apprehend it, no philosophy could pro¬ 
pound it, yet it comes to us as the source of unspeakable 
joy and hope. 

3. It becomes us to take good care of the immortal 
soul, and of the body, its temple, for they are to be re¬ 
united beyond the tomb. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


FINAL JUDGMENT 

After the general resurrection there will be a final 
judgment, when all nations of men must appear at the 
Judgment seat of Christ. “We must all appear before 
the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive 
the things done in his body, whether it be good or bad.” 
2 Cor. 5: io. Here the issues of time will be settled, 
and our rights and deserts will all be adjusted. All will 
be there. Jesus said, “When the son of man shall come 
in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall 
he sit upon the throne of his glory; And before him 
shall be gathered all nations.” Matt. 25:31, 32. This 
judgment will be for all who will be raised that last day, 
and those who will be alive at the time of Christ’s coming. 
“Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the 
living and the dead.” 1 Peter 4: 5. 

This time will be at the end of the world, a day, a set 
time when all the actors in this world will have to meet 
the results of their conduct; all near and all remote re¬ 
sults, and the effects of all influences which they set in 
motion while living. Who can estimate the far-reaching 
importance of that day? The Father has appointed his 
Son to be the Judge: “He hath appointed a day, in the 
which he will judge the world in righteousness by the 
230 


Final Judgment 


231 


man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given as¬ 
surance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from 
the dead.” Acts 17:31. At that time every man’s 
work will be put to the test: “Every man’s work shall be 
made manifest: for the day shall declare it.” 1 Cor. 
3:13. “The Lord knoweth how to . . . keep the 
unrighteous under punishment unto the day of Judg¬ 
ment.” 2 Peter 2:9. The Scriptures are clear and une¬ 
quivocal regarding the fact that there is a set time, called 
a day, for the Judgment. The term day as used in the 
Bible does not always mean a period of twenty-four hours. 
Peter says, “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, 
and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3: 8. The 
Psalmist says, “A thousand years in thy sight are but 
as yesterday.” Psa. 90:4. We must remember that 
God is eternal, and periods of time which mean so 
much to us are small to him. The day of Judgment 
must mean a period of time, long or short, which will be 
required for the world to pass in review before the Su¬ 
preme Judge and receive the final sentence, from which 
there is no appeal. No doubt God can dispose of every 
case in a short period of time and in such manner that 
our quickened perception can see the justice of his 
decisions and be properly impressed by them. 

Many other passages, like the following, unequivocally 
teach that there will be a final Judgment: “I say unto you 
that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the 
day of judgment than for thee,” Matt. 11:24. “The men 
of Ninevah shall stand up in the Judgment with this 


232 


Christian Doctrines 


generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented 
at the preaching of Jonah; and behold a greater Jonah is 
here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judg¬ 
ment with this generation and shall condemn it.” Matt. 
12:41, 42. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but 
after this the judgment.” Heb. 9: 27. “I saw the dead, 
small and great, stand before God; and the books were 
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book 
of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which 
were written in the books, according to their works.” 
Rev. 20: 12. These are examples of what is said in the 
Scriptures. Much of the language is strongly figurative, 
but it must always be borne in mind that figurative de¬ 
scriptions of spiritual and eternal destinies fall far below 
the realities, as much so as mind is greater than matter, 
and eternity is greater than time. 

What is the purpose of the Judgment? The Scriptures 
say little about it, except that men may be dealt with 
according to their deeds. And is that not enough? That is 
one of the objects of all criminal courts. What men think, 
and their motives, whether developed into overt acts or 
not, must be judged in that day. The Judgment is not 
to inform God regarding the guilt of sinners, for he fully 
understands every case. It must be to inform his creatures, 
impress them with the rectitude of his government, and 
his impartial justice. Men could be assigned to their 
eternal destiny at death, but it is not God’s way, and for a 
wise purpose he has appointed the great assize. No 
doubt all men and angels will be greatly impressed by 


Final Judgment 


233 


such a day; they can better understand the justice of God, 
and see the impossibility of escaping the just Judgment of 
God. 

Not only are men concerned in the Judgment, but 
fallen angels will be there to receive their final awards. 
They have been active in accomplishing man’s ruin, have 
been vigilant in temptation to beset his way with snares 
and evil devices, and now that the world is summoned 
before the Judgment seat of Christ, they must be there. 
Added to the terrible revolt in heaven when they were 
cast out, is their responsibility for inspiring the great 
record of crime and sin which has cursed our world. They 
must meet it. Jude says, '‘The angels which kept not 
their first estate he hath reserved in everlasting chains, 
under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day.’’ 
Jude 6. They have been already in their allotted place, 
yet for a season they have been permitted to roam about 
on their infernal mission. After the Judgment they may 
be confined in their prison. Jesus said of sinners who 
would finally receive his sentence, that he would say to 
them, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire 
which is prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matt. 
25: 41. Peter says, “For if God spared not angels when 
they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed 
them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment,” 
2 Peter 2:4. These are plain statements of the Scriptures 
which must impress all minds with the terrible issues of 
the Judgment day. The Bible does not leave us alone 
with these, but employs the strongest terms known to 


234 


Christian Doctrines 


language to describe the terrors of the lost, and the ecstasy 
of the saved. 

How will Jesus come? He ascended into heaven in 
the presence of his diciples, and as they stood gazing a 
cloud received him out of their sight. Two angels ap¬ 
peared and said to the disciples, “Ye men of Galilee, why 
stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, which was 
received up from you into heaven, shall come in like 
manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.” Acts 
i: 11. His coming will be observed and as marked as his 
departure; as plainly seen by men. “As the lightning 
cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; 
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” “The 
sun shall be darkened, and moon shall not give her light, 
and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of 
the heavens shall be shaken.” In the gloom, which will 
shroud nature, there will appear a light descending, as 
the lightning flashing round the world. Christ is 
coming, “and all the holy angels with him.” Scenes will 
be enacted, surpassing all possible description. “Every 
eye shall see him.” “All kindreds of the earth shall wail 
because of him.” Consternation, such as was never 
seen on earth before, will strike every sinful heart. Men 
will not be looking for it. The sordid man, living only for 
self; those who oppress the hireling in his wages; the per¬ 
secutor, who has pursued his victim with relentless fury; 
criminals, who steal dollars, and those who steal millions; 
lovers of pleasure, that walk after the flesh in the lust 
of defilement, ... as creatures without reason, born 


Final Judgment 


2 35 


mere animals to be taken and destroyed; all sinners, and 
hypocrites will see all their plans and schemes brought to 
an end, and the Judge, with his mighty retinue of angels 
attending his orders, coming to Judgment. They will rush 
into caves and dens of the earth, calling for mountains 
and rocks to fall on them to hide them from the face of the 
Son of man. An angel with one foot on the sea, and 
another on the dry land will proclaim by him that liveth, 
“that time shall be no more. ,, 

There is one class exultant with joy. Holy men and 
women, in the midst of the confusion and terror, cannot 
suppress their delight as the hour of their release 
approaches. The graves will open, the dead will rise, 
the sea will give up its dead, and the angels will hasten 
to “gather together his elect from the four winds.” 
Those of the saints who rise or are living, will “be 
caught up together in the clouds, to meet the Lord 
in the air,” where they will be stationed at his right 
hand. Being forgiven, they need no trial, but his ap¬ 
proval they will receive, so Jesus says, “come ye blessed 
of my Father.” 

The angels are bringing reluctant sinners before the 
Judge to stand trial. All men, the great and small; the 
holy angels, and fallen angels will be there. 

“The trumpet, the trumpet: the dead have all heard: 

Lo, the depths of the stone-covered charnel are stirred: 

From the sea, from the earth, from the south, from the 
north, 

All the vast generations of men are come forth. 


236 


Christian Doctrines 


“The judgment! the judgment! the thrones are all set! 

Where the Lamb and the white-vested elders are met, 
There all men are at once in the sight of the Lord, 
And the doom of eternity hangs on his word.”— Anon. 

An impartial Judge, who knows every case, will pro¬ 
nounce sentence. None will question that decision ex¬ 
cept one class, the hypocrites, who made Jesus the most 
trouble, and have caused the churches much trouble 
since. They will say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophe¬ 
sied in thy name? . . . and in thy name done many won¬ 
derful works?” The Judge will say, “I never knew you: 
depart from me ye that work iniquity.” Then will the 
lost be stationed on the left hand. What a suspense, what 
a terrible moment, as the Judge pronounces sentence. 

To those on his right hand he will say, “Come, ye 
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the world. ” 

To those on his left he will say, “Depart from me, ye 
cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his 
angels.” 

From this trial the Judge, attended by his angels and 
all who have loved and served him on the earth, with the 
little children who have been objects of his special care, 
will ascend where he will present them to his Father in 
heaven. They have confessed him on the earth, and he 
will honor them with this exalted recognition. 

The lost, in charge of the devil and his angels, will 
descend to their allotted prison where, sinning and 
suffering, they must endure the vengeance of eternal fire. 


Final Judgment 


*37 


The earth must be burned up. Some will say, “The 
earth and sea cannot be destroyed by fire.” This is an 
old objection. Peter met with such people in his day. 
He says, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the 
last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying 
“Where is the promise of his coming? for since the Fathers 
fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the be¬ 
ginning of the creation: For this they willingly are ignor¬ 
ant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, 
and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; 
whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with 
water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which 
are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto 
fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly 
men.” 2 Peter 3:3-7. Again he says, “But the day of 
the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the 
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele¬ 
ments shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the 
works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10. 

This earth be destroyed by the fiat of the Almighty! 
Why not? 

“His fiat laid the corner stone, 

And heaved its pillars one by one.”— Willis. 

It is easier to destroy than to build. It must be remem¬ 
bered that it not only required Almighty power to create 
this universe, but the same power is needed every moment 
to perpetuate it. Should that power be withdrawn, the 
works of nature would as effectually pass out of existence 
as before their creation. “By him all things consist,” or 


238 


Christian Doctrines 


exist. Even the mighty elements of air and water can 
be made the instruments of the earth’s destruction. 
Oxygen and hydrogen form water, one, the chief element 
in combustion* and the other, a highly explosive gas. 
Oxygen and nitrogen form the air. Were the Almighty 
to disturb the combination of these elements, the rivers, 
oceans, and all substances filled with water, together with 
the atmosphere, would become a seething furnace of 
flame, sinking to the depths of the ocean, and rising to 
the heights of the atmosphere. The earth filled with 
water would be rent with earthquakes, and the mountains 
would be torn asunder. 

“And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there 
was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black sack¬ 
cloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; and 
the stars of the heavens fell unto the earth, as a fig tree 
casting her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. 
And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled 
up; and every mountain and island were moved out of 
their places. And the kings of the earth, and the princes, 
and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and 
every bondsman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves 
and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the 
mountains and to the rocks “Fall on us, and hide us from 
the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the 
wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is 
come; and who is able to stand. ” Rev. 6: 12-17. 


CHAPTER XIX 


FUTURE PUNISHMENT 

That incorrigible sinners will be punished in a future 
life, is clearly stated in the Word of God; and, contrary 
to the opinion of some, it is consistent with reason, and 
the only logical position which can be taken. 

What is punishment ? It is the infliction of penalties for 
wrong doing, for the correction of violators of the law, and 
the restraining of men from sin. Of necessity the penalty 
must continue as long as men sin. This is necessary to 
insure permanency of government. Any government 
will break down which fails to punish the violators of the 
law, or which is very lenient toward them. Inasmuch as 
the objectors to the doctrine of future punishment lay 
much stress on what they choose to call “the deductions 
of reason,” we shall first consider what reason does teach. 

FROM REASON 

Speculation and sympathy do greatly influence the 
decisions of men, but nothing weighs with God except the 
logic of facts, and it is with him that we must deal. What 
are the facts? 

i. Bad men do not improve morally while leading a 
sinful life but, on the contrary, grow worse, with the 
chances of change for the better becoming less as they ad¬ 
vance in years. Paul say$, “But evil men and imposters 


240 


Christian Doctrines 


shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being de¬ 
ceived.” 2 Tim. 3: 13. This agrees with the observa¬ 
tion of men. 

2. A majority of Christians are converted before they 
are twenty-five, nearly all of the remainder before they 
are forty, between the ages of forty and fifty not more than 
one in a hundred, and after fifty about one in a thousand. 
In early life these neglecters of religion were quite regular 
attendants on the church services and were interested. 
By frequently refusing the calls of God, and finally neg¬ 
lecting the church, the interest lessened until late in life 
it was lost. Now they are seldom seen in the church, and 
their fate is almost as effectually sealed as it will ever be. 
We offer them salvation with very little hope of acceptance, 
and a wise Christian worker will not spend much time 
with such people, but, rather give more time and attention 
to the young. This is the way God does, and it is wise to 
learn of him. He calls the young often, but he has long 
since ceased to call the old sinners, or at most the call is 
seldom made, and then feebly. 

3. What does this teach? That the tendency is to¬ 
wards permanence of character. If men surrounded by 
churches, the examples of Christians, a Christian civiliza¬ 
tion, and every other influence calculated to improve them, 
will die in their sins, is it reasonable to conclude that in 
eternity, cut off from all these influences, they will do any 
better? It would be very unreasonable to think they 
would improve. Where all is evil and only evil, they 
will soon permanently embrace it. Even in this life men 


Future Punishment 


241 


“first endure, then pity, then embrace.” That is the 
tendency. 

It may be said, “Some sinners die while young.” But 
does not the Lord know that they will never change for 
the better? Certainly he is to be the Judge regarding 
the length of time he will allow a sinner for his probation. 

Some contend that “the existence of sin and punishment 
are so abhorrent to God that he will not permit it to 
continue forever. He cannot tolerate it in the universe.” 
This objection is speculative and utterly disregards the 
facts. We know that sin is abhorrent to God now, as he 
says, and yet he does permit it to exist, and has for thou¬ 
sands of years. No argument can be made against his 
eternal permission of sin and punishment, which does 
not lie with equal force against a limited period of sin 
and punishment. 

Some object that “It is unreasonable to punish a man 
eternally for his sins in this life.” As far as I know there 
are few, if any, who teach this at the present time. Some 
of the old theologians taught it, but it is not now generally 
believed. What is taught, and is consistent with reason, 
is that men who have resisted all influences brought to 
bear to save them, and die in their sins, will remain 
sinners, ever sinning and forever suffering. John says, 
in describing those who are excluded from heaven: 
“Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, 
and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and 
maketh a lie.” Rev. 22: 15. This is an account of 
sinners and the character which they will possess in a 


242 


Christian Doctrines 


future life. They will still have all the abominable 
elements of their earthly sinful nature, and will love to lie 
and practice their deception. Again it is said (R. V.), in 
describing the conditions and employments of a future 
life: “He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness 
still: and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy still: and 
he that is righteous, let him do righteousness still: and 
he that is holy, let him be made holy still.” Rev. 22: 11. 
Certainly the employments of this life which have con¬ 
tributed to our character building will in some sense be 
continued in the future life, thus contributing to our ever 
increasing guilt as sinners, or to our ever increasing favor 
with God as saints. The sinner will be punished eter¬ 
nally because of his endless transgression. 

There are some sins which cannot receive adequate 
punishment in this life, and probably none can, which 
will require to be adjusted in a future life. This state of 
mind and character carries the sinner over into eternity 
in a state of condemnation. Having passed the period 
of probation and beyond the boundary of all good influ¬ 
ences, he falls under the control of evil inclinations and 
evil associations forever. 

Guilt in its nature is everlasting. It lies against a man 
until he has suffered the penalty, or has been forgiven. 
None will be forgiven except those who accept Christ as 
their Saviour, so the sinner is excluded. The guilt of the 
sinner remains, and his punishment will continue as long 
as he sins. Not only is a man guilty for sins committed, 
but God holds every man responsible for the good he can 


Future Punishment 


243 


do, and the proper use of his time. Inasmuch as God 
requires every man to employ his time to the best advan¬ 
tage of which he is capable and to do as much good as he 
can, it is clear that whenever a man fails in these duties he 
incurs guilt. He cannot reform and make up for the 
neglects and sins of he past, for every day brings its new 
duties to fill all his time, so it remains a record against 
him which, if unforgiven, he must meet at the judgment 
day. 

So there is no argument from reason against future and 
eternal punishment, while there are many and weighty 
reasons for beliving such will be the fate of the incorrigibly 
wicked. 

SCRIPTURAL ARGUMENT 

The final settlement of this question belongs to revela¬ 
tion. None but God can know the necessities of his 
government in the present and future life. There are 
four classes who appeal to the Bible for its solution: 

1. Those who deny the doctrine of future punishment, 
and teach that the only punishment for sin is in this 
life, namely, the Universalists. 

2. Those who believe in a degree of punishment in the 
future life for discipline, but think after the sinner has 
suffered a while he will be restored—styled Restora- 
tionists. 

3. Those who maintain that incorrigible sinners will be 
blotted out of existence—called Annihilationists. 

4. Those who hold, as the Scriptures plainly teach, 
that sinners who die in their sins, having passed the period 


244 


Christian Doctrines 


of their probation and rejected all the offers of salvation 
in this life, will be denied another opportunity, but ever 
sinning they must forever suffer. This is the view held 
by the evangelical churches. 

In regard to the first and second of these views, they are 
without Scriptural support. Their advocates do not 
now claim that support, but rather resort to speculative 
reasons, which have already been considered. 

The advocates of the opinion that sinners will finally 
be annihilated are not able to produce any passages of 
Scripture which clearly support their view. Those 
adduced can more naturally be construed to mean 
eternal punishment. For instance, Paul says of sinners, 
they “shall be punished with everlasting destruction 
from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of 
his power.” 2 Thess. 1: 9. When applied to human 
beings destruction means utter ruin, not annihilation. 
This is the natural and reasonable use of the word. If 
destruction means annihilation, why say everlasting? 
The plain meaning is everlasting ruin. The prophet 
explains the matter thus: “O Israel, thou hast destroyed 
thyself; but in me is thine help.” Hos. 13:9. They had 
ruined themselves, but God offered them help. If they 
had been annihilated there would have been no help for 
them. Jesus said, “Be not afraid of them that kill the 
body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear 
him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” 
Matt. 10: 28. The word destroy belongs to that class 
of words which means “utter and hopeless ruin.” It 


Future Punishment 


245 


does not limit his existence, for his future is the continu¬ 
ance of a worthless life. Hell, gehenna , as used here 
means the place assigned for the departed spirits of the 
wicked. It should be noted here that annihilationists 
claim, in order to make their theory good, that the soul 
and body are one, only material; and that none are im¬ 
mortal, or possess a spiritual nature, until after the res¬ 
urrection, when God will give immortality to the saved. 
Now if this is true the man who kills the body also kills 
the soul. But Jesus teaches differently, for he says they 
can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. One more 
passage is thought by them to support the theory of 
annihilation: “Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as 
an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly 
shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn 
them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them 
neither root nor branch.” Mai. 4:1. This is a strong 
figurative passage to describe the utter ruin of the wicked, 
meaning, of course, the cutting off hopes and utter wreck¬ 
ing of all their plans. An end is to be made of all their 
evil designs, so that not a vestige will remain of their 
wicked work. This, like all the other passages they 
adduce, does not teach annihilation, but naturally shows 
the utter ruin awaiting the wicked. This is the force 
given that class of passages in the Scriptures. 

The clear teaching of the Word of God as held by the 
body of Christians in all ages of the church is, that “the 
wicked shall be driven away in his wickedness,” to suffer 
the pains of eternal death. The language employed 


246 


Christian Doctrines 


by the sacred writers in its literal meaning and natural 
construction teaches that sinners who die in their sins 
must suffer eternal punishment. 

Figurative language is often employed to represent the 
sufferings of spiritual beings, because the mind can better 
comprehend its force by so doing. Fire and brimstone 
cannot burn a spiritual being, but by employing such 
terms figuratively we understand that as fire is a cause 
of great physical pain to the body, so the pains of hell will 
be to the souls of those who are finally lost. It must be 
remembered that the reality will not be less than the 
figurative description. The Scriptures use the strongest 
terms possible to portray the state of the wicked in the 
future life. It is reasonable therefore to conclude that 
their condition is terrible beyond description. 

The terms used convey to our minds ideas of the most 
intense anguish. It is called death; not natural death, 
for we must all die, but Eternal Death. This is separa¬ 
tion from God forever. God by his Spirit inspires good 
desires and holy tempers, and when he withdraws how 
terrible must be the state of a soul abandoned by the 
Almighty. It means the dying out of all that is good in 
a man. We cannot fathom the depth and force of such 
language. To be left with only impure and vile thoughts 
is a condition deplorable. This state is called “Darkness,” 
and “the Mist and the Blackness of Darkness;” and some¬ 
times “the Shadow of Death.” Certainly a soul thus lost 
is plunged into deep darkness and gloom, with nothing to 
light up the terrible night. 


Future Punishment 


247 


Conscience, which even in this life causes unspeakable 
anguish in criminals, must in eternity contribute to the 
suffering of ruined souls. A murderer in a southern 
state, after escaping the officers and wandering about for 
twenty years, returned to his old home, where the murder 
was committed, and gave himself up. He stated as a 
reason that he had not felt a moment’s peace, but his 
conscience had lashed him until he had suffered more 
than death many times. What must it be to have a 
guilty conscience through eternity? 

God will inflict in the future life punishment often 
styled Fire, a Furnace of Fire; a Lake of Fire and Brim¬ 
stone; the Fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 
Shame and everlasting contempt; unquenchable Fire; 
Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth; Damnation of Hell; 
this place of Torment; Tribulation and Anguish upon 
every soul of man that doeth evil; Vessels of Wrath 
fitted to destruction; Reap Corruption. These quota¬ 
tions illustrate how the Scriptures speak of the nature 
of the punishment which will be inflicted on the 
wicked. As wicked men in this life “wax worse and 
worse, deceiving and being deceived,” it must be inferred 
that they will continue to do so in eternity, which 
will plunge them into depths of sin and suffering beyond 
our comprehension. Sinful desires and tempers, stimu¬ 
lated by bad associates, and without restraint must be¬ 
come exceedingly powerful in the future. There is no 
reason for us to believe these evil qualities will be less in 
eternity. The only examples from whom we can judge 


248 


Christian Doctrines 


are Satan and his angels, and they for six thousand years, 
full of all mailgnity and hate, have been going about 
causing devastation and ruin everywhere possible. 
Peter says, “As a roaring lion, he goeth about, seeking 
whom he may devour;” and John says, he “deceiveth 
the whole world.” It is evident that the evil and mali¬ 
cious nature of these evil spirits has not been improved 
by their sufferings. When we say, these tempers and 
corrupting influences will be unrestrained, it will not be 
in an absolute sense; for God does and will put some re¬ 
straint on devils and wicked men in the future life, but 
within the limits of their prison there will be but little 
restraint, only such as the stronger can exercise over the 
weaker. Anarchy must have nearly full sway in hell. 

Some object that “sin, being the delight of sinners, can¬ 
not with propriety be said to be their punishment.” 
This to superficial minds is a plausible statement, but a 
little examination will show its fallacy. In the first place, 
sin is one thing, and punishment is another. The gambler, 
the saloon keeper, and the thief may take some pleasure 
in their criminal life, but they do not take pleasure in the 
just punishment inflicted on them. Then they escape 
often, seldom receiving their just deserts here, but in the 
future life none can escape justice. 

The entire absence of love, and of all who have been 
loved, must be a great privation. Love is the greatest 
virtue on earth or in heaven. Its loss in hell must be con¬ 
sidered incalculable. 

Association with evil beings, those who are only evil, 


Future Punishment 


249 


must be a terrible calamity. This we are warranted in 
believing is the state of the lost in eternity. Jesus said 
that he will separate the righteous from the wicked at the 
judgment day. Even bad men in this life find it a relief 
to get away from their evil associates and mingle with the 
good for a season. In eternity there will be no such re¬ 
lief for them. 

ITS DURATION 

Admission to heaven or hell will depend on fitness. 
The wicked are called “vessels of wrath fitted to destruc¬ 
tion. M The argument from reason has already been con¬ 
sidered, in which it has been shown that men who have 
been going away from God during the period of this life 
cannot reasonably be expected to do any better in eternity, 
when deprived of all the good influences they had in this 
world. The absence of good restraint, and association 
with only evil beings does not help men to do better in any 
world. 

SCRIPTURAL ARGUMENT 

An eternity of punishment for incorrigible sinners is 
plainly what the Word of God teaches. The language 
employed consists of the strongest terms to describe an 
eternity of suffering. A word of caution is necessary, for 
some people do not know how to determine the force of 
words. They must be given their natural and literal 
meaning unless the context plainly teaches differently. 
For instance: eternity, everlasting and forever, means an 
endless duration. This is their literal definition. But 
there are a few instances in which the terms seem to be 


250 


Christian Doctrines 


limited, such as everlasting hills, and everlasting moun¬ 
tains, the context limiting the meaning. 

The same terms are employed to express the duration 
of the existence of God, and the happiness of the righteous, 
that are used to express the duration of punishment of the 
wicked. If the first two are to be understood literally, 
then we must so understand the latter. Here are some 
examples as used in the Holy Scriptures: “Even from 
everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psa. 90: 2. 
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth 
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame 
and everlasting contempt.” Dan. 12:2. “And these 
shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous 
into life eternal.” Matt. 25: 46. There is no way to 
limit the meaning and force of these passages. If God 
and the righteous are to exist forever, so are the wicked. 
This is the tenor of the Scriptures. Jesus will say to the 
wicked at the day of judgment, “Depart from me, ye 
cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the 
devil and his angels.” Matt. 25: 41. 

When the enemies of Christ attributed his miraculous 
works to Beelzebub, he said, “All their sins shall be for¬ 
given unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies where¬ 
with soever they shall blaspheme: but whosoever shall 
blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, 
but is guilty of an eternal sin.” Mark 3: 29. Here is one 
sin which cannot be forgiven. All others may be for¬ 
given if penitent sinners ask God to forgive. What is 
the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which cannot be 


Future Punishment 


251 


forgiven? Plainly the resisting of the calls of God by 
his Spirit until he takes his final leave. The antedilu¬ 
vians committed this sin by resisting the calls of the 
Spirit, through the preaching of Noah, until God said, 
“My spirit shall not strive with man forever.” Gen. 
6:3. When God’s Spirit left them vengeance set in. 
The blasphemous Jews committed this sin by resisting 
the conviction caused by the Holy Spirit, and its calls to 
repentance. Instead, they attributed the miracles of 
Christ to the devil when they knew better. By thus re¬ 
fusing to yield to their honest convictions, they were 
abandoned by the Almighty. And so any man, who 
resists the calls of the Holy Spirit until he takes his final 
leave, commits this sin. Jesus said, “No man can come 
to me, except the Father that sent me draw him.” 
John 6: 44. All that come to Christ for salvation must 
come through the calls of God’s Spirit. Those who 
resist these calls until they cease entirely cannot be saved. 
There being only one sin which cannot be forgiven, the 
resisting of the Holy Spirit must be that sin. Let none 
who is convicted of sin, and feels the need of salvation 
fear that he is guilty of that sin, for when the Spirit takes 
its final leave he will cease to care anything about his 
salvation. The fact that the Holy Spirit does cease to 
strive with wicked men at death, and with some while 
living, as in the case of the antediluvians and some of the 
Jewish rulers in the time of Christ, must furnish a weighty 
reason for believing that the condition of sinners is hope¬ 
less in a future life. For if none can be saved, except 


252 


Christian Doctrines 


through the Spirit’s call, those who have refused the calls 
of God until they are left alone without any further im¬ 
pressions or convictions of sin, must thereby place them¬ 
selves beyond all hope of pardon. Jesus gives an illustra¬ 
tion of the state of the lost by using something familiar to 
his hearers. The Valley of Hinnon, south of Jerusalem, 
was made the receptacle of refuse and old carcasses 
which became filled with worms, when fire was set and 
they were consumed. He said “It is good for thee to en¬ 
ter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to 
go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, . . . where their 
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Mark 
9:43, 48. In the valley of Hinnon the carcasses and 
worms were consumed by fire, but in hell the gnawing 
worms will never cease and the fires will not go out. The 
thought is this, that it is better to cut off evil associates 
and bad habits, than to allow them to draw you into hell. 
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he 
that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath 
of God abideth on him.” John 3:36. Life here 
means the state of a saved soul, while the lost are in a 
state of spiritual death, separated from God, and must 
abide under the wrath of God forever. “Rendering 
vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that 
obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer 
punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of 
the Lord and the glory of his might.” 2 Thess. 1:8, 9. 
“So shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of man 
shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of 


Future Punishment 


253 


his kindgom all things that offend, and them that do 
iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there 
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matt. 13: 40-42. 
These are a few of the many passages of Scripture which 
proved the future an eternal punishment of the wicked. 

There is nothing in reason or in revelation to warrant 
a departure from the opinion which has generally been 
held by the Christian church, that sinners who die un¬ 
forgiven will pass the boundary of the divine mercy, and 
forever sinning abide eternally under condemnation. 


CHAPTER XX 


HEAVEN 

Where will be our abode in a future life? In the place 
for which we are fitted. By a life of devotion to God, by 
the sacrifice of selfish and sensual desires, by the cultiva^ 
tion of the noble virtues essential to the best character, 
by generous service to mankind, the righteous will be 
prepared to enter on a state of enduring happiness, and 
will be in harmony with the purity and grandeur of 
eternal surroundings. 

As has been stated in the preceding chapter, the tend¬ 
ency of character is towards permanence. There are 
many saintly lives, where the stability of character is so 
marked, that no well informed person would think of 
trying to tempt them to violate their conscientious con-, 
victions. They are the reliables, reflecting credit on the 
church as well as themselves. They have reached the 
experience in this life when the calls of duty and virtu¬ 
ous conduct are stronger, and afford them greater pleas¬ 
ure than any of the attractions or allurements of sin. They 
are reasonably safe, and by the grace of God sure to en¬ 
dure to the end. If such stability and security may be 
reached in this life, it is certainly reasonable to conclude 
that in the future life, with freedom from temptation and 
all evil associations, and surrounded with the pure and 
holy, they will through eternity be secure from falling, 
254 


.Heaven 


255 


while advancing in knowledge and all the virtues of the 
higher life. Jesus said, “I give unto them eternal life; 
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck 
them out of my hand.” John 10:28. “We have a 
building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in 
the heavens.” 2 Cor. 5:1. “Here have we no continu¬ 
ing city, but we seek one to come.” Heb. 13:14. “And 
so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:17. 
These passages clearly state the permanence and security 
of all things heavenly. After leaving a world of uncer¬ 
tainty and disappointment, and viewing for the first time 
eternal verities, unfading beauty, and rapturous joy, there 
will come a sense of relief to the soul, and contentment 
beyond description. This is an essential feature of 
heaven. 

Heaven must be a place. The language of the Scrip¬ 
tures teach this. Jesus said, “ In my Father’s house are 
many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, 
and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye 
may be also.” John 14:2, 3. Where angels and re¬ 
deemed spirits dwell must be a place. Some think this 
world after it is renovated by fire will be again fitted up 
for the abode of man. There is nothing conclusive on 
this point. Whether it is true or not, is unessential. 
But it is true that there will be a new heaven (or heavenly 
bodies) and a new earth; a place not cursed by sin, where 
the pure in heart shall dwell with angels, and God will 
especially dwell among them, and reveal himself to them. 


Christian Doctrines 


256 

“The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; 
in the which the heavens (heavenly bodies) shall pass 
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with 
fervent heat, and the earth also and the works therein 
shall be burned up . . . Nevertheless we, according to his 
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein 
dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:10, 13. “And I saw 
a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and 
the first earth were passed away; and there was no more 
sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming 
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride 
adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out 
of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with 
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his 
people, and God himself will be with them, and be their 
God.” Rev. 21:1-3. These passages are conclusive 
regarding the place called heaven, the abode of God, 
the holy angels and redeemed saints. The term heaven 
is variously used in the Bible to mean: the upper atmos¬ 
phere, “the clouds of heaven;” the region of the stars, 
“the stars of heaven;” and the place where God especially 
dwells with his holy angels and his saints. This chapter 
treats of the latter. 

Is this heaven to be only for the saints and angels, with 
God to dwell among them; or is there a heaven for God’s 
children of all worlds, where they shall gather from all 
parts of the universe? This is not revealed, but it is 
reasonable to conclude that angels are God’s messengers 
to all worlds of intelligent beings, and if we are to dwell 


Heaven 


257 


with them in heaven, why not all his children from every 
part of his universe? This world, because of its material 
nature, is made the abode of men who possess material 
bodies; but heaven is where God, angels, and the spirits 
of just men made perfect dwell, all of whom are spiritual, 
and where all thoughts of material existence are excluded. 
Even our resurrected body is to be spiritual. We must 
banish from our minds all thoughts of heaven as a ma¬ 
terial world. It will be a place, but not composed of 
matter like the earth. All the descriptions of heaven are 
so highly figurative that they preclude the idea of mate¬ 
rial substance. John in describing the New Jerusalem 
says, its foundations are garnished with all kinds of 
precious stones, its walls are very high, its mansions and 
streets are pure gold, its gates are pearls, its guards are 
angels, and God is the light thereof. As these things 
convey to our minds ideas of the greatest purity and 
beauty in this world, so the heaven of spiritual beings will 
surpass in splendor all our conceptions of earthly glory. 

The absence of everything which detracts from our 
felicity is a requirement of heaven. “There the wicked 
cease from troubling, there the weary be at rest.” No 
plans, or schemes, or works of wicked men will disturb 
the righteous, and there they will never weary. No 
tears will be shed, no sighing, nor pain, for the former 
things have passed away. “And God shall wipe away 
all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more 
death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any 
more pain.” 


Christian Doctrines 


258 

Rest in heaven does not mean inactivity. It means 
restful and the most agreeable employment. We can 
pursue occupations which afford us the greatest delight, 
and never grow weary. Idleness to the best men is 
torture here, and it would be there. Our activity and 
responsibility are set forth in the parable of the talents: 
“Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make 
thee ruler over many things.” Matt. 25: 21. The few 
things we do, and the experience we acquire here are to 
be increased many fold in eternity. Not a lesson we 
learn, for it becomes a part of our soul, and none of the 
discipline of this life are to be lost in their influence on 
the future. 

Social relations here are indispensable to our happiness. 
All our experience in this world contemplates this. Our 
nature requires it. Exclude a man from society, place 
him where he could not see another human being, and 
he would be miserable—nothing else could satisfy him. 
To make social relations pleasant and profitable, they 
must be agreeable. A perfectly harmonious relation can 
only exist among the pure in heart. None but the right¬ 
eous can contribute to its enjoyment. Disagreeable 
people can never enter heaven. No amount of pro¬ 
fession can atone for the lack of this one quality. True 
Christians “love one another.” W T here love is the supreme 
virtue of the soul all other virtues will flourish. “God is 
love,” and the more his saints excel in this quality, the 
more they are like heaven. 

Heaven is the place of enduring friendships. Every- 


Heaven 


259 


one there will be a friend. All will be frank and open, 
no deception will be practiced, and each will repose in the 
other the utmost confidence. No selfishness, nor envy, 
nor covetousness can exist; none can be induced to de¬ 
ceive, but all will find it one of the greatest pleasures to 
contribute to the highest good of others. “A friend 
loveth at all times.” Prov. 17: 17. “A man that hath 
friends must show himself friendly; and there is a friend 
that sticketh closer than a brother.” Prov. 18: 24. 

Will we know our friends in heaven? We know them 
here, and we will know more there. After Moses had 
been dead about 1500 years, and Elijah had been trans¬ 
lated nearly 1000 years, they appeared on the Moimt of 
Transfiguration in the presence of Jesus and three of 
his disciples, Peter, James and John. They were made 
known, and Peter said to Jesus, “If thou wilt, I will make 
here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, 
and one for Elijah.” Matt. 17:4* Our knowledge will 
be immeasurably increased in eternity. Parents and 
children, husbands and wives there will meet; not in 
their earthly relations, but in those more glorious and 
sublime, where love will never experience a disappoint¬ 
ment, and the reunion will be eternal. Jesus taught 
recognition in heaven when he said, “Many shall come 
from the east and the west, and shall sit down with 
Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of 
heaven.” Matt. 8:11. We shall not only know each 
other, but we can associate with those who have been 
most distinguished in this world as leaders of the church, 


260 


Christian Doctrines 


eminent for piety, of whom we have so often read, and 
we shall feel at perfect ease. 

Christ must reign until he puts down all contentions, 
and the whole universe will be at peace, except in hell 
where devils and wicked men are confined. Peace must 
exist in heaven with nothing to disturb it forever. Christ’s 
reign on the earth will result in the overthrow of all strife 
and opposition to him. “For he must reign till he hath 
put all his enemies under his feet.” i Cor. 15:25. 
“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they 
shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, 
and them which do iniquity; and cast them into a furnace 
of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” 
Matt. 13: 41, 42. 

The possibilities of mind call for a wider opportunity 
than the limitations of this mortal body will admit of. 
It must expand forever. In this life the body becomes 
easily exhausted by the mind when in powerful exercise. 
In heaven, its vast researches, its ever accumulating 
knowledge, its mighty range and grasp of thought will 
require a spiritual body, capable of sustaining its opera¬ 
tions. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but 
then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I 
know even as also I am known.” 1 Cor. 13:12. What 
is dimly seen here will be fully known there. 

God can be seen in heaven, and his ways will be under¬ 
stood; which will call for our highest ascriptions of praise. 
Great scientists after making an important discovery 
have fallen on their knees to praise and adore the Author 


Heaven 


261 

of nature. How much more will redeemed saints and 
angels adore him in heaven as they come to understand 
his works more fully; but especially as they see and com¬ 
prehend the great plan of salvation through Christ, by 
which men are rescued from sin, transformed into saints, 
at last glorified, and crowned kings and priests unto God 
and the Lamb forever. There will be different orders 
among spiritual beings, but still all will have honorable 
stations. No one will envy another, for it is consistent 
with love for one to prefer that another should wear the 
honors if deserved. “In honor, preferring one another/’ 
In a world where all are assured that rewards and pro¬ 
motion are according to merit, every fair minded person 
will be satisfied. None will remain where he is, but with 
the rapid progress made in heaven, even the weakest 
saint will sometime in the future advance to a. position 
and a degree of knowledge equal to that enjoyed now by 
the highest archangel, while all this time the archangel 
shall have been advancing. 

Heaven is not only a place, but it is also a state. Its 
supreme virtue, love, is the source of other virtues. 
Supreme love to God will secure obedience and tireless 
devotion to him. It shall be our delight to glorify him. 
Loving others as ourselves, we will gladly minister and 
contribute to the happiness of others, for “It is more 
blessed to give than to receive. ,, This truth poorly 
understood here will be well known in heaven. We 
know that the consciousness of rectitude and of God’s 
favor brings the greatest joy of the Christian life here; 


262 


Christian Doctrines 


how much more glorious will be our more perfect obe¬ 
dience in heaven! Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is 
within you.” Luke 17: 21. Heaven is begun in Chris¬ 
tian hearts in this life, and, though the light burns feebly, 
hereafter it will shine with effulgent glory. 

At the end of the world will there be a change in the 
visible universe from material to spiritual conditions? 
This is not clearly revealed; it is beyond our reach. It is 
true of mortals and of all intelligent beings as far as we 
know. The material universe cannot produce anything 
for the support of spiritual beings, and why should it 
continue to exist? It is said of the saints in heaven, 
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; 
neither shall the sun strike upon them, or any heat.” 
Rev. 7:16. Spiritual beings can go through a material 
world as angels have visited our world, but their missions 
have been to men, after which they returned. This 
material world could do nothing for them. 

When the soul first views the glories of heaven, is 
thrilled with its music, meets at the gate the Son of God, 
greets those we loved and lost for a brief day, and enters 
into the most delightful associations, its thought will be, 
“Will this continue?” Immediately assurances come from 
many voices, “And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 
1 Thess. 4: 17. “For we know that if the earthly house 
of our tabernacle be disoived, we have a building from 
God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the 
heavens. 2 Cor. 5:1. 

The descriptions of heaven surpass the mind’s highest 


Heaven 


263 


conceptions. Paul, though permitted to see heaven, did 
not attempt a description, but in a modest way says that 
he “heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for 
a man to utter.” 2 Cor. 12:4. John was permitted to 
see heaven, and was instructed regarding many of its 
mysteries, and has left us the most sublime descriptions, 
clothed in figurative language. He says, “I saw, and 
behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, 
out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and 
tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, 
arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands 
(emblematic of purity and victory), and they cry with a 
great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God which setteth 
on the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels 
were standing round about the throne, and about the 
elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell before 
the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, 
Amen (verily, surely): Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, 
and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be 
unto our God forever and ever, Amen (so be it). And 
one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These which 
arrayed in white robes, who are they, and whence came 
they? And I say unto him, My Lord, thou knowest. 
And he said to me, These are they which come out of 
the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and 
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore 
are they before the throne of God; and they serve him 
day and night in his temple: and he that setteth on the 
throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. They 


264 


Christian Doctrines 


shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither 
shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat: for the 
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their 
shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters 
of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their 
eyes.” Rev. 7:9-17. 

In the last part of this book John says, “And I saw a 
new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the 
first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And 
I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of 
heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for 
her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne 
saying, Behold (observe with care), the tabernacle of God 
is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall 
be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and 
be their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from 
their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall 
there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the 
first things are passed away. And he that sitteth on the 
throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” Rev. 21:1-5. 

Of the New Jerusalem he says, “Her light was like unto 
a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as 
crystal: having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, 
and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon 
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children 
of Israel,” three gates on each side of the city. “And 
the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them, 
twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” 
(A most honorable recognition of the labors and sacrifices 


Heaven 


265 


of the first founders of the Christian system.) “And the 
building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was 
pure gold, like unto pure glass. The foundations of the 
wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious 
stones;” Jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, 
sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus, jacinth and 
amethyst, twelve in all. “And the twelve gates were 
twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was one pearl; 
and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were trans¬ 
parent glass, and I saw no temple therein: for the Lord 
God the Almighty, and the Lamb were the temple thereof. 
And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, 
to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and 
the lamp thereof is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk 
amidst the light thereof; and the Kings of the earth do 
bring their glory into it. And the gates thereof shall in 
nowise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there), 
and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations 
into it; and there shall in nowise enter into it anything 
unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie; 
but only they which are written in the Lamb’s book of 
Life.” The saints “shall reign forever and ever.” Rev. 
21:11 -27522: 5. The strongest figurative language is 
employed to describe the beauty and glory of heaven, and 
yet we must know that it falls vastly short of the reality. 
No tongue can express, no mind can conceive the glories 
in reservation for the saved. “And so shall we be ever 
with the Lord.” Let us “comfort one another with these 
words.” 



GENERAL INDEX 


PAGE 

Adam and Eve.164, 165 

Angel of Jehovah.97 

Anarchy.248 

Angels 

fallen angels .166-169, 233, 236 

holy angels.235, 236 

Annihilationists.243, 244 

Assurance .191, 192 

Atheism .10 

Atonement.170-183 

all will not be saved.182 

benefits of.184-198 

Christ sacrificed for the sins of the world.174-178 

extent of .181 

governmental theory of.178 

moral influence theory.176 

necessity of.171 

physical and spiritual death result of sin.170 

sacrifices on Jewish altars a type of Christ.171 

satisfaction or penal theory.176 

skeptic’s objection .175 

why is penalty necessary.179 

Attributes of God.12, 22-33 

Natural Attributes.22 

eternity.23 

immutability.28 

omnipresence.28 

omniscience .25 

omnipotence .24 


267 






























268 


General Index 


PAGE 

personality .22 

spirituality.23 

unity.28 

foreknowledge.26 

wisdom.27 

Moral Attributes.29-33 

goodness.29 

moral immutability.30 

justice, mercy and truth.32, 33 

Authenticity of the Holy Scriptures.34-49 

historical truthfulness.34 

number of books.35 

important rules.35, 36 

many manuscripts of New Testament.36 

various readings.36 

original manuscripts .37 

unity of the books.37 

times when written.38 

New Testament from the first authentic.38, 39 

sacred canon.39, 40 

style and contents of the books.40 

geographical references.40 

historical events.40 

archaeology.40 

Jesus Christ central figure of the New Testament.. .41 

Christ only perfect character of history.41 

Christ’s words .42 

doctrines of the New Testament.43 

contemporary history .43 

Josephus’ testimony .44 

the two sacraments monumental evidence.45 

Christianity itself is evidence.45, 46 

relation of Jews to Old Testament.46 

Moses leader and legislator.46 


v ' 



































General Index 


269 

PAGB 

Hebrew language.47 

preservation of Old Testament.47 

monuments of events.48 

comparative value of Sacred books.48, 49 

Barrow, Dr.13 

Benevolence .29, 158 

Beneficence.158 

Bible.34-65 

Cause and Effect.9, 12, 14 

Character.149, 150, 158, 159, 240, 254 

Choice.25, 26, 147, 148, 149 

Christ, Divine Nature.93-108 

Logos is the Christ.93 

supreme divinity stated .93 

Jehovah of the Old Testament was the Christ 

of the New.93-96 

angel is one sent.96 

names of the Deity given Christ.98, 99 

has attributes of God.99 

his divine acts.99, 100 

Christ’s eternity .100, 104 

Christ to be the Judge.100, 101 

his omnipotence . 101, 102 

his omnipresence.103 

his omniscience.103 

has power to forgive sins.104 

divine worship paid to him.105, 106 

relation to the Father.106 

all authority committed to Christ.107 

his miracles were in his own name.102 

Christ, Human Nature.109-117 

he was created in the womb of a virgin.109 

his twofold nature. • -109 

he was born and became a man.110 



































270 General Index 

PAGE 

contrast him as God and man.111-113 

not a simple being but two natures.114, 115 

taught in his own name and acted by his own 

authority.115 

apostles appealed to his authority.115, 116 

incarnation .117 

Christ, (Inductive Method).118-135 

he was expected when he came.118-121 

his wisdom when twelve years old.121 

began his ministry at thirty years of age.122 

his baptism, fasting and temptation.124 

performed miracles in his own name.125, 126 

disciples worked in Jesus’ name.126 

import of his words.127 

divine worship paid to him.128 

claim to resurrection power .128 

at times he speaks as God.129 

he laid down his own life.131, 132 

now study his human nature.133 

need of prayer .133 

temptation.134 

final view of his followers.135 

our Elder Brother.135 

Christianity .45, 46 

Christ’s Resurrection.210-219 

his resurrection proves possibility of ours.210 

reality of Christ’s death was well known.210 

precaution .211 

both Jews and Christians admit his absence 

from the tomb .211 

great consternation .211 

absurd report .212 

he rises on the morning of the third day.213 

disciples incredulous .214 




































General Index 


271 

FACE 

his appearances.214 

his departure.219 

Creator.9,12,13,18 

Conscience.152 

Consciousness .191 

Conversion .184, 185 

Devil.166-169, 233, 236 

Depravity, total.164 

Duties.145, 150, 151 

Easter .208, 209 

Effect to Cause.12 

Endless Punishment.239-253 

Elijah.75 

Elisha.75 

Eternity.199-265 

Eternal Life.254-265 

Existence of God .9-33 

first great truth.9 

Creator v of all things.9 

divine law.*.9 

his existence.9 

constitution and course of nature.9 

cause and effect.9, 14 

efficient Cause.9 

depend on revelation.10 

man lost a correct knowledge of God.10 

names of the Deity.11 

acts.12 

effect to cause .12 

eternity of.12 

self-existence.12 

attributes .12, 22-33 

God is a spirit.12, 17 

design.18 




































General Index 


272 

PACK 

Dr. Barrow .13 

intuitions.15 

existence of things proves the being of God.16 

the human body.16 

universe began to be.18 

all things exist by him.18 

watch and planetary system.18, 19 

great skill shows a great designer.19 

records of history.20 

testimony of experience .20 

Faith.187-189 

Fall of Man.165 

Foreknowledge of God .26, 78 

Forgiveness of Sins.187-189 

Free Agency.147 

Freedom.148 

Free-Will.148 

Future Life.199-265 

Future Punishment.239-253 

incorrigible sinners punished in the future.239 

what is punishment.239 

from reason.239-243 

wicked men grow worse.239 

bad men go further from God in advancing years. . .240 

tendency towards permanency of character.240 

objection answered.241 

wicked men are punished eternally because 

eternally sinners.242 

some sins cannot be punished in this life.242 

guilt is everlasting.242 

Scriptural argument.243-253 

Universalists.243, 244 

Restorationists.243, 244 

Annihilationists .243-245 


































General Index 


27 3 


PAGE 

eternal punishment .245-253 

figurative language . 246 

terms convey ideas of intense anguish.246, 247 

conscience .247 

anarchy .248 

absence of love.248 

association with evil beings only.248 

its duration.249-253 


same terms express existence of God, happiness 

of the righteous and duration of punishment.250 

one sin cannot be forgiven.250-252 

Glorification .197, 198 

God.9-33 

attributes.12, 22-33 

existence.9-21 

Goodness.29, 30, 151, 152, 192, 197 

Governm ent .154-157 

divine.155, 156, 157 

human.156 

Heaven.254-265 

if fitted to abide in heaven.254 

tendency towards permanency of character.254 

heaven is a place.255, 256 

absence of all evil.257 

rest is not inactivity.258 

social relations .258 

enduring friendships.258, 259 

will know our friends.259 

possibilities of mind .260 

God can be seen in heaven.260 

heaven is also a state ..261 

change from material to spiritual conditions.262 

forever with the Lord .262 

descriptions of heaven.262-265 



































274 General Index 

PAGE 

Heathen.10, 50, 51, 91, 92 

Hell.139-253 

Holy Spirit.136-144 

third person in the Trinity.136 

blasphemy against.137 

is named in the commission and benediction.. .137, 138 

eternity of.138 

omnipresence.138 

omniscience.138 

omnipotence .138 

his acts divine.139 

he calls .139 

he regenerates.140 

he assures.141 

was given to the ancient church.142 

was given to the Christian church in larger measure.. 142 

inspired holy men to write Revelation.143 

gives power.143 

he defends.143 

he builds up.144 

will raise the dead.144 

Holiness.31, 158, 192-197 

Human Nature 

of Christ.109-117 

of man.145-149 

Incarnation.109-117 

Infants.236 

Intuitions .15, 16 

Imm ortality .199-265 

from nature and reason.199-204 

from revelation.204-207 

Christ’s resurrection, prelude.208-219 

general resurrection.220-229 

final judgment.230-238 

































General Index 


275 

PAGE 

future punishment.239-253 

heaven .254-265 

Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.50-65 

definition and rules.50, 51 

necessity of revelation .51 

authority of the infinite Lawgiver necessary.52 

correct religious truths were in the world.52, 53 

the law must be published.53, 54 

divine thoughts perfect .56 

human language imperfect.56 

few and unimportant errors .57 

mode of inspiration, two views.57, 58 

degree of inspiration, two views.58, 59 

Sacred writers honest men.59 

writers considered themselves inspired.59, 60 

Christ put his seal on the Old Testament.61, 62 

ethical teachings true.62 

ethical tone of Old Testament.63, 64 

all required evidence in the Scriptures.64 

Josephus on Jesus Christ.44, 45 

Judgment, General.230-238 

all must appear there.230 

time, at the end of the world.230 

Christ to be the judge.230 

its purpose. 232 

men and fallen angels will be there.233 

how will Jesus come?.234 

consternation of sinners .234 

Christians rejoice. 23 ^ 

angels executing orders.235 

an impartial Judge. 2 ^6 

approval of Christians.236 

sentence of the sinner. 236 

earth burned up . 237 > 238 




































276 


General Index 


PAGB 

Jehovah .93-96 

Judaism and the Jews.46 

Jews.46-48, 211 

Jewish Church.90 

Justice .32 

Justification byJFaith.187-189 

Law.7.'.9, 53, 54, 154-157 

Law of God .151, 152, 154-157 

Man .145-169 

his nature .145 

his duty.145 

his reason.145 

physical body.145 

sentient nature, sensibility.146 

the will.147 

he can choose.147 

freedom of the will.148 

motive and character.148, 149 

his obligation.150 

origin .150 

requirements.151 

conscience .152 

personal rights and duties.153, 154 

government—divine and human.154 

head to government.155 

rewards and penalties.156 

virtue or holiness.158, 159 

sin.159 

how are men led into sin?.159 

what constitutes a sinner?.160 

what is original sin?.161 

permanent inclination to sin.162 

can sin and holiness co-exist?.162 

Scriptures do not teach mixed action.163 




































General Index 


277 

FAGB 

history of sin.163 

sin not an entity.163 

what is total depravity?.164 

Scriptural account of the origin of sin reasonable.. .164 

fallen angels .166 

devil and his angels.166-169 

evil spirits tempt men to sin.166 

Messiah .80-85 

Miracles .66-78 

definition .66, 67 

supernatural events are miracles..67 

objections absurd.67 

active agents must operate law.67, 68 

superhuman.68 

miracles have stood the.test of time.69 

test of deception.70, 71 

inspired men should know it.71, 72 

John’s test.72 

signs and wonders are miracles.73 

apostles use miracles to prove their call.73, 74 

miracles wrought by Moses and Aaron.74 

wrought by Elijah.75 

wrought by Elisha.75 

miracles of Christ.75-77 

wrought by apostles.77, 78 

Mind Cure .. 102 

Moses .46, 47 

Motive.148, 150, 156 

Nature.9, 12, 13, 14, 18, 22, 24 

New Testament .36-46 

Obedience .9, 158 

Obligation .9, 150, 158 

Old Testament.41, 61-64 

Omniscience of God.13, 25 



































278 General Index 

PAGE 

Omnipresence of God .13, 28 

Omnipotence of God.13, 24 

Penalties .239 

Personal Rights.153, 154 

Prayer .*88 

Probation.242, 243, 244 

Prophecy.78, 86 

definition.78 

two classes .78 

God alone can foresee his purpose in Providence.. . .78 
God alone can know what intelligent beings will do. .78 

nature not permanently fixed.78,79 

purpose of prophecy.79 

objections .79, 80 

noted prophecies .80 

regarding the Messiah.80-85 

other noted prophecies .86 

Punishment.239 

Pliny .43 

Regeneration.189-191 

Religion.9 

Reason.9, 10, 145 

Repentance unto Salvation.185, 186 

Resurrection of Christ.210-217 

Resurrection, General.220-229 

definition.• • • 220 

not the same material body.220 

will appear as the same person.221 

analogy .221, 222 

Old Testament taught it.222, 223 

clearly taught in the New Testament.223 

Sadducees.223 

Christ the first resurrection proper.225 

raised an immaterial body.225 


































General Index 


279 

PAGE 

raised in power.226 

raised in glory .226 

raised a spiritual body.226 

two resurrections.227, 228 

important reflections.229 

Restorationists .243, 244 

Rights .152, 153 

Sanctification .192-197 

definition.192 

babes in Christ.192, 193 

mature Christians .192, 193 

what a young Christian has.194 

what will sanctification do for him?.194 

go on unto perfection.196 

perfect love.197 

Scriptures, Holy.34-86 

authenticity.34-49 

inspiration.50-65 

Sin . 159-165 

Sin, Original.—161 

Sinner.160, 239 

Son of God.93-108 

Son of Man.109-117 

Spirit of God.17, 23, 136-144 

Spirit .17 

Suetonius.43 

Tacitus.43 

Trinity.87-92 

Holy Scriptures furnish the proof.87 

three persons, Trinity in unity.87 

views of writers .87 

mystery does not discredit it.88 

is the tenor of the Scriptures.88 

is generally believed by the churches.89 




































28o 


General Index 


PAGE 

was held by the early church.89, 90 

held by the ancient Jewish church.90 

heathen nations held to a triad in deity.91, 92 

Unbelief.10, 165 

Unity of God .12, 28 

Universalists.243, 244 

Veracity.33 

Virtue or Holiness.158 

Virtuous Character.^ . .158 

Witness of the Holy Spirit.141, 191, 192 

Will.147-149 

Worship.9, 128 

Wrong .152 









































. 





















































































, 




























































\ 

' 


























































































































































































Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: July 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 



































